National roads, controversial projects suspended by the People's Chamber Construction and Real Estate

The financing of three road projects approved last week by the National Council, against the will of its Transport Commission (Ctt-N), should be suspended. The People's Chamber decided this in approving - 131 votes against 57 and one abstention - a credit of 5.651 billion francs destined for the 2019 phase to upgrade the national roads. The dossier now passes to the States. Last week the National had accepted three projects - in addition to other non-controversial ones - the result of individual proposals: the Bodensee-Thurtalstrasse in Thurgau (for 300 million), the Muggenbergtunnel in Basel-Country (150 million) and the completion of the motorway in the Oberland Zurich, for a still unknown investment. Yesterday the Commissioner Fabio Regazzi (Ppd / Ti) recalled that the costs evoked during the debates are based on estimates made by those who proposed the projects and that, according to the Federal Office of the Roads (Ustra), they are “clearly too low ". In light of these considerations, the National has therefore decided not to grant financial resources to these three disputed projects at the moment. For this reason, a provision was introduced in the decree intended for their financing, according to which the Federal Council is entrusted with submitting to the parliament a commitment credit relating to these dossiers when they have reached the planning status of the "general project". Meanwhile, still yesterday, during the traditional meeting with the media of the Ticino Deputation at the Federal Chambers, Regazzi expressed his concern if the parliament should agree to include the study of the three projects not included in the commission's plans: in this case the connection A2-A13 on the Magadino Plan (a new motorway between the Bellinzona area and the Locarno area) and the extension of the motorway south of the Melide dam bridge could be delayed. For the Locarno deputy, even if the Council of States were to confirm the decision of the National, this could represent a problem for the Ticino projects: "The hope is that the Chamber of Cantons will backtrack or reduce the decisions of the people's one".