Brussels, 27/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to lend €1billion to Autostrade per l'Italia for the construction of a third lane on the A14 motorway between Rimini and Porto S. Elpidio (Ascoli Piceno). This project forms part of the TEN-T (trans-European networks) programme, which is one of the EIB's priority activities, and will form part of the 743.4 km motorway link between Bologna and Taranto.
More specifically, the project to be financed by the EIB involves the construction of a new third lane in both directions along a 155 km section of the existing A14, new emergency infrastructure and additional interchanges for the links with the Adriatic Highway. In Emilia Romagna and the Marche region, five provinces (Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno) and numerous cities are involved. The construction of noise-reduction barriers is very important to the local communities, as the A14 is one of the busiest roads during the summer, serving as it does the major towns along the Riviera Romagnola and all the coastal resorts of the Marche, Abruzzo, Molise and eastern Puglia. Together with the parallel trunk road the “SS16 Adriatica”, the A14 is therefore very congested, especially during peak periods. Moreover, given that the A14 passes through a part of Italy where there are many small and medium-sized enterprises, it is crucial for trade flows between the Adriatic ports and a number of key European markets, in particular the market for goods between Ancona and the Balkans. (O.L./transl.rt)