"The new season of planning and planning of infrastructures in our country - also born from the overcoming of the Objective Law - entrusts Anas with an important role of promoter and support for the implementation policies of new works and the preservation of Italian road infrastructure assets. We are the first contracting authority for the design of public works in Italy and, in order to support the expected investment volumes, in the 2017 we have published tenders for the design for a value of about 400 millions of euro, against the 40 millions of euros published in the 2016 ".
The president of Anas, Ennio Cascetta, spoke today, speaking at the presentation of the 34th Annual OICE / CER Survey on engineering and architecture.
"With the new procurement code - explained Cascetta - we have achieved an overall improvement in the quality of new works, starting from the verification of the usefulness of investments, to design and implement" lean "infrastructures that avoid waste without losing value and shared with the territories. In this context, investments must take into account four conditions: enhancement of the role of the work; homogeneous and transparent criteria; design quality; standardization of the benefit / cost parameters ".
Currently, for roads and motorways, the country system has activated investments for 40,4 billions of euros (of which 75% already 30,4 billions of euros are already available, for: the enhancement of existing assets, technological enhancement and digitization (Smart Road); restoration and security of earthquake-prone infrastructures, decongestion and fluidisation of motorway sections (extension to third and fourth lane), decongesting of metropolitan areas, upgrading of completion and redevelopment.
In the five-year period 2016-2020 Anas has activated 23,4 billion of investments: 10,5 mld (45%) for extraordinary maintenance, adaptation and safety measures; 8,4 mld (36%) for completion of itineraries; 3,9 mld (17%) for new works; 0,6 mld (2%) for interventions to restore the state / local road system damaged by the 2016 earthquake and investments in road technologies and technological applications.
"These investments - underlined Cascetta - represent the recognition given by the country to the strategic role of transport planning. In fact, with 8 million passengers a day and 400mila freight vehicles transiting every day on our network, the Anas is the first road network operator in Europe and we are the first integrated European hub of rail and road infrastructure for inhabitants ". It is a role of great responsibility and commitment - concluded President Cascetta - which, in particular for the design of new works, passes through a process of information, participation and public debate on the opportunity, the goals and the solutions design of the works that are to be realized. This is one of our modus operandi that we have built over time and which has recently been implemented by the legislator who has included the need for 'public debate' in the relevant legislation ".