Construction is underway on the Gronda highway in Genoa, Italy. The project, a 65-kilometer highway, cost 4.95 billion euros. The project will carry out maintenance work as well as safety upgrades and installation of sound barriers in Genoa, Milan and the highway sections between Bologna, Florence and Fiano Romano.

Four-fifths of Italy's territory is mountainous and hilly, and the terrain along the lines complicates the job. This resulted in the construction of 25 tunnel sections with a total length of 55 km, as well as 23 viaducts. There are over 7,000 km of Italian highways and over 15,000 km of regional and provincial highways. There are also 16,000 bridges and viaducts, most of which are over 50 years old.

The project is managed by Italian road company Autostradeperl'Italia (ASPI). Construction of the link took 10 years to complete, largely due to the engineering challenges of navigating 25 tunnels. The work, first planned in 2002, will make major improvements to transport in the Liguria region of Italy.Editor/XingWentao