Background
The Tangenziale Est di Milano was built between 1969 and 1973. It is easy, therefore, to see how fifty years after this work was opened to traffic, the area of Milan has changed profoundly in parallel with traffic flows and the need for connections around the city. The surface area of the metropolis and the immediately adjacent municipalities has expanded over the years, particularly towards the east, progressively “encompassing” the route of the current ring roads.
At the same time, the development of multiple industrial and logistics hubs in the area east of Milan has caused the entire primary and secondary road network in the area to reach its current saturation levels with congested sections between 7 AM and 8 PM on weekdays. In this context, it had become indispensable to design and construct a new bypass system further outside the city limits, capable of relieving traffic on the current network and contributing to a reduction in travel time while decreasing emissions.
The A58-TEEM meets these exact requirements: the new infrastructure is an effective response to the need for fast, safe and environmentally friendly travel.
In addition to the main route, the A58-TEEM constructed 38 kilometres of associated road works and upgraded 15 kilometres of secondary roads. This is an intervention to effectively upgrade the secondary road network, serving the Municipalities in the area, bringing improvements in road connections throughout the area.
The construction work started on 11 June 2012, from the base camp in Truccazzano. The schedule saw the opening to traffic of the so-called “Arco TEEM”, a section between the SP 103 “Cassanese” and the SP 14 “Rivoltana”, on 23 July 2014, in order to guarantee the interconnection with BreBeMi.
The entire infrastructure went into operation on 16 May 2015.
CIPE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE FINAL PROJECT
At its meeting on 2 August 2011, the Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE), the state body chaired by the President of the Council of Ministers that prepares the national economic policy guidelines, approved the Final Project and the A58-TEEM economic and financial plan. This approval, which was registered by the Court of Auditors on 27 February 2012 and became operative following the publication of the relevant resolution on 3 March 2012, gave the go-ahead for the executive design of the 32 kilometres of motorway and 38 kilometres of new secondary roads that make up the TEEM road system. The worksites were opened on 11 June 2012.
The CIPE resolution also led to the integration of the Final Project on the basis of comments made by private parties and local authorities and accepted by the same Committee. The full effectiveness of the measure led, on 20 July 2012, to the initiation of the land acquisition procedure for the plots included in the “declaration of public utility” of 7 February 2012, as well as to an integration of the same declaration for the parts of TEEM and related works subject to modifications and adjustments (27 July 2012). At the end of November 2012, Concessioni Autostradali Lombarde S.p.A. approved the Executive Plan submitted after go-ahead from the Board of Directors of Tangenziale Esterna S.p.A.
PROGRAMME AGREEMENT
The approval process of the A58-TEEM Preliminary Project and Final Project was characterised by continuous dialogue and discussions with the territory and local administrations. Between 2005 and 2007, the progress of works planning activities came to a standstill, due to the opposition to the new project expressed by some Municipalities: the main fears were related to the impact that the infrastructure would have on the territories directly affected by the works. In order to resolve the situation, on 5 November 2007, the Lombardy Region promoted the signing of the “Programme Agreement for the construction of the Tangenziale Est Esterna di Milano and the upgrading of the road network in the East Milan area”, an important document signed – as well as by the Lombardy Region itself – by the Provinces of Milan and Lodi, the Italian Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport, Concessioni Autostradali Lombarde S.p.A., Anas S.p.A. and representatives from the 64 Municipalities affected (directly or indirectly) by the TEEM construction work.
The objective of this agreement was to define, in a complete and shared manner, the motorway route of the new infrastructure, the related works and the new mobility framework of the East Milan, Brianza and North Lodigiano areas. The document also envisaged – prepared by the competent bodies – interventions for road and cycle works. The Programme Agreement is the result of hundreds of working groups with the territory aimed at creating a consensus on the work and the continuation of a process to share all the operational phases with the parties affected by the execution of the works.
Thanks to the boost from the A58-TEEM for the area’s economy and improvements to a modern and environmentally friendly road network, the territory benefits from an intervention that is properly integrated with its surroundings, shared and at the service of the ever-increasing demand for swift and safe travel throughout the Metropolitan Area.