Quasi 280 billion in investments for sustainable mobility, 12 for water infrastructures e 7 for sustainable construction: this is what the new long-term strategy for infrastructures presented by Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility Enrico Giovannini.
The so-called Infrastructure, Mobility and Logistics Annex to the Document of Economy and Finance (Def) 2022 provides for almost 300 billion euros for interventions selected on the basis of the Government’s economic strategy, the sustainable development goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and the Green European deal.
The Annex illustrates the set of plans, reforms and investments made and programmed for the next 10 years to stimulate the development of the country also at the international level, increase the competitiveness of the economic system, reduce social and territorial inequalities between the North and South and between inland areas and large cities.
And also to transform the mobility system in the name of environmental sustainability, to secure water resources and other infrastructures with respect to the challenges of climate change, to accelerate the redevelopment of public housing and urban regeneration, to increase the safety and well-being of people .
The result of a long work between Mims, the world of research, business associations, trade unions and civil society, the document illustrates the government’s policy to allow Italy to recover, in the years to come, “the infrastructural gap that hinders the competitiveness of enterprises, increases territorial and social inequalities, determines unsustainable environmental costs ”, underlined Minister Giovannini.
“The document describes the new approach to the development of sustainable mobility infrastructures and systems, in line with the principles of the Next Generation EU. The reforms approved this year will ensure not only the construction of new infrastructures with less impact on the ecosystem and in line with the principles of the ecological transition, but also the reduction of implementation times, the involvement of local communities in decisions, the increase of resilience of existing infrastructures, also thanks to the use of digital technologies “.
The funds already allocated and the additional ones that will come from national and European sources allow to continue the investments linked to the NRP, implementing the medium-long term vision described in the Annex.
Sustainable mobility
The document details the works considered priority for the sector of infrastructures for mobility and logistics, for a total value of € 279.4 billion (+ 8.1% compared to what is illustrated in the Annex 2021). These are interventions necessary for the completion, safety, also with respect to the climate crisis, and the technological adaptation of the Integrated National Transport System (SNIT).
These investments concern roads and highways (83.5 billion), railways and urban nodes (147.4 billion), ports (10.1 billion), airports (3.2 billion), mass rapid transit in metropolitan cities (32.6 billion) e cycle paths (2.6 billion).
The resources already allocated through the various financing channels amount to 209 billion, with a residual requirement of 70.4 billion, equal to 25% of the total cost, a percentage that is 6 percentage points lower than that of Annex 2021, reflecting the considerable commitment that the Draghi Government has placed on these issues in the last 12 months.
In the city, investments for sustainable urban mobility and the development of urban and tourist cycling are aimed at a strengthening of local public transportal renewal of rail vehicles in an ecological sense and the development of forms of gentle mobility.
Investments in the road and motorway network are aimed at securingal technological and digital enhancementand to the enhancement of the existing heritage also with a view to ecological transition, to reduction of accidentsal decongestion of metropolitan routessuburban and motorway, to the integration of the available network with that dedicated to cycling.
Major investments in the railway sector are geared towards strengthening of long-distance passenger servicesthe integration and strengthening of the lines dedicated to regional transport, al freight traffic developmentalso with the aim of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants, with a view to interconnection with ports, airports and interports, and integration with other modes of transport: car, soft mobility, etc. .
Ports and logistics are also at the center of the ecological transition: in the next few years the expansion of port and rear-port infrastructures, transformation in an ecological sense, railway interconnection are expected.
Maximum attention to the South
All sectoral plans and related investments allocate aparticular attention to the South and to inland areas.
It is no coincidence that among the new priority works, particular importance is given toHigh Speed Salerno-Reggio Calabriawith its regional and transversal interconnections, the improvement and strengthening of State road 106 Jonica, from Reggio Calabria to Taranto (491 km for 3 billion euros), the road and rail interventions in the areas of central Italy hit by earthquakes of 2009 and 2016 and road interventions for the strengthening of the State Road 4 Salaria.
Water infrastructure
In addition to investments in mobility, the new annex to the Def takes into consideration the interventions for water infrastructuresfor a total of over € 12.3 billionof which almost 4.7 billion (38% of the total needed) already allocated.
Even primary water infrastructures must become more efficient and resilient to climate change thanks to an extraordinary maintenance program and the completion of the still unfinished water systems, especially in the South, in order to increase the available resource by almost 700 million cubic meters to be allocated. for irrigation, drinking, hydroelectric use and for the protection of downstream territories.
Public building
Also provided investments for the development and redevelopment of public buildingsequal to 6.7 billion, of which over 5.2 – 78% of the total – have already been allocated.
The objective is to improve the quality of living, the increase in residential areas equal to 450 thousand square meters and the energy efficiency and seismic adaptation of existing structures, with attention also to judicial and penitentiary buildings to reduce crowding in prisons. .
