Brussels, 24/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 20 September, the European Investment Bank (EIB) granted loans totalling €450 million to Autostrade per l'Italia.
€250 million will finance the upgrading of the Firenze Nord-Barberino del Mugello Appenine stretch of the A1; and €200 million will support the 2011-2016 network safety improvement programme of Italy's main motorway operator.
The Firenze Nord-Barberino project consists of upgrading 17 kilometres of the A1 in the Tuscan Appenines to three lanes. The A1 is Italy's main motorway and forms part of corridor 1 of the trans-European transport networks (TEN-T). The scheme involves a combination of modifying and widening the existing motorway and constructing new sections.
The safety investments consist of a variety of small and medium-scale schemes on 16 different sections managed by Autostrade over the length of Italy. These include the refurbishment of a number of tunnels, reduction of noise pollution and installation of photovoltaic panels. (OL/transl.fl)