Webuild Completes Excavation of Trebisacce Tunnel
Webuild has completed the excavation of the Trebisacce Tunnel, the longest tunnel of the Third Mega Lot of the Jonica, or Ionian, State Road (SS106), which it is building on behalf of ANAS (FS Italiane Group). At a total length of 3.3 kilometres, the tunnel is one of the most technically complex parts of the project. The Tunnel has two tubes, one for each direction. Built using the traditional excavation method, it will allow traffic to bypass the hilly inland area and eliminate the need to travel through urban centres along the existing SS106.
The Third Mega Lot is the main project to modernise the Calabrian section of the SS106. It will help strengthen connections along the Ionian corridor among the regions of Calabria, Basilicata, and Puglia, improving access to them. It will also connect with existing roads and highways, such as the A2 and A14 highways, helping to reduce travel times. The project has created approximately 1,200 jobs, including both direct and indirect, involving about 900 companies since work began. Some 45 percent of these jobs are based in Calabria.
Webuild also completed the Avena and Straface viaducts, among the project’s most notable structures. The Avena spans 660 metres between the municipalities of Albidona and Amendolara. It is one of the most architecturally distinguished structures of the project, thanks to a deck supported by four majestic piers, two of which featuring a distinctive “V” shape. Work proceeds on the Annunziata Viaduct: approximately one kilometre long, it features a distinctive two-level deck, one level for each direction.
The Third Mega Lot project includes 13 tunnels (both natural and artificial) totalling 10 kilometres and 16 viaducts for a combined length of 7 kilometres. The section runs through the province of Cosenza, crossing the municipalities of the Alto Jonio Cosentino area of Cassano all’Ionio: Francavilla Marittima, Cerchiara di Calabria, Villapiana, Trebisacce, Albidona, Amendolara, and Roseto Capo Spulico. It includes four interchanges (Sibari, Cerchiara-Francavilla, Trebisacce, and Roseto), which provide connections to the existing road network, coastal communities, and inland areas.
On the SS106 route, which is a strategic infrastructure for the south of Italy, Webuild also won Lot 1, which covers the section between the Coserie viaduct and the Corigliano Ovest interchange. With this new contract, the total number of kilometres being built or upgraded by the Group rises to approximately 55 kilometres. Commissioned by ANAS (FS Italiane Group), the lot involves approximately 17 kilometres of new state road, featuring 15 viaducts and three overpasses for three kilometres, and a 1.4-kilometre-long twin-tube tunnel. Up to approximately 500 people, including direct employees and subcontractors, are expected to work on it, with a focus on leveraging the expertise and experience gained during the construction of the Third Mega Lot.
The two lots of the SS106 are among the 21 projects that Webuild is building in Southern Italy for a combined awarded value of over €16 billion. Together they provide employment for 10,200 people, including direct employees and subcontractors. Some 7,500 companies have been involved since works began. In Calabria, Webuild has been awarded the contract for the Cosenza–Paola/San Lucido track-doubling project, commissioned by RFI (FS Italiane Group), an integral part of the future Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed and high-capacity railway. The project involves building over 22 kilometres of new track, including the Santomarco Tunnel, the project’s main structure, which will extend for 15 kilometres, helping to improve the capacity and efficiency of the railway between the Tyrrhenian coast and the Calabrian hinterland.
