Full-time Olympic variants: Sant’Andrea commissioner appointed for Cortina and Longarone

The goal is to accelerate the implementation of the works for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics: eight infrastructural interventions considered priority have been identified

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO. The bypass of Cortina and the Variante di Longarone, the two biggest late Olympic works? To speed up the work, from 600 million investment, the Government has

appointed Extraordinary Commissioner Luigi Valerio Sant’Andrea, current CEO of the company ‘Infrastructure Milano-Cortina 2026 SpA’. The Ampezzano was able to appreciate it with the works of the world championships; the sports ones he completed in time. Will he be able to perform this second miracle?

Sant’Andrea has been entrusted with eight works considered a priority: in addition to the variants of Cortina and Longarone, the safety of the Giussano-Civate section of the SS36 (between the provinces of Monza Brianza and Lecco); the completion of the Abbadia Lariana cycle path on the SS36 in the province of Lecco; the South Ring Road of Sondrio; the refurbishment of the SS 42 “del Tonale and Mendola” in the municipalities of Trescore Balneario (lot 1) and Entratico (lot 2) in the province of Bergamo; the SS 639 Variante di Vercurago in the province of Lecco; level crossing suppression interventions on the SS 38 Milan-Lecco-Sondrio-Triano line.

The appointment, in truth, had been expected at least last spring. “This is excellent news,” is the first comment of the President of the Region Luca Zaia. «An important step forward, which has been expected for months and I would say crucial considering that it will allow us to use

simplified procedures in order to speed up the construction times for road works. We have four years ahead of us and we need everyone’s help to achieve a common goal which is to ensure that these Olympics are organized in the best possible way ».

«With the appointment of Valerio Sant’Andrea as extraordinary commissioner and the identification of the eight priority infrastructural interventions, the first step of the path towards the Olympics is established. Now we need to forge ahead in order to have the works completed by December 2025 ”, underlines the deputy Dario Bond. «These are fundamental works, not only for the Olympics, but for the future of the Belluno and Veneto mountains. In recent days I had raised the issue in the House. Now I can only express satisfaction: my heartfelt appeal to the government and the awareness of some ministers have borne fruit. But beware: this is only a first stage, which must be followed by concrete facts. The extraordinary commissioner will be able to make use of fast procedures, but attention must remain very high. Four years is not too long and does not allow for distractions ».