APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
is to be spent on double tracking and electrification of lines in southern Italy.
A further US$83.2 million is to be used to complete the Rome-Chiusi section (99 miles) of the new Rome-Florence high speed line. To modernize the motive power and rolling stock pool, US$212.8 million is to be spent for 130 electric and 100 diesel locomotives, 50 three-car electric trainsets, and 1,100 high-capacity freight and container cars.
Characteristics of selected FS lines are given in Figure 2. Selected standard gage lines total 4,296 route miles or 43% of the FS network; the handle almost 90% of all rail freight and long distance rail passenger traffic and have an axle load capacity of 22 short tons. With the exception of 440 route miles of single track nonelectrified lines in southern Italy and Sardinia, all lines are double track and electrified, operating on 3,000-volt direct current with an overhead catenary system. The selected lines make eight international connections with rail networks of four neighboring countries. Rolling stock meeting UIC international specifications is interchangeable at these connections.
D. Highways (C)
The pattern and distribution of Italy's highways have been greatly influenced by the mountainous and hilly terrain that characterizes about four-fifths of the country. The Alps in the north and the Apennines that extend southeast down the peninsula have caused the highways to develop along the coasts and in the river valleys. Relatively few good highways extend east-west across the mountainous spine. Density of the network is greatest in the northern half of the peninsula. In Sicily the better routes extend along the seacoasts, and in Sardinia the network is concentrated in the western part of the island. The overall network is generally adequate to support the economy, but the rapid growth of the motor vehicle inventory is causing increased traffic congestion on routes in and around the larger urban areas. There are good international highway connections with the networks of neighboring France, Italy, Austria, and Yugoslavia. Figure 5 lists characteristics of selected highways.
The highway network consists of about 179,000 miles of roads classified as follows: autostrade, 3,000 miles (Figure 3); state highways, 25,750 miles; provincial highways, 57,000 miles; and communal highways, 93,250 miles. Of the total, about 159,000 miles are surfaced with concrete, bitumen, or stone block; about 15,500 miles are surfaced with gravel or crushed stone; and the remaining 4,500 miles consist of earth roads. The condition of the network varies; autostrade and state highways are maintained at regular intervals and are in better condition than the other classes. Surface widths range generally from 16 to 45 feet; autostrade have divided multilane roadways, each lane being 11.5 or 12.5 feet wide. Shoulders range up to about 10 feet wide, but many miles of low-type roads, including some in rural areas, have no shoulders.
Most bridges built before World War II are of brick or stonemasonry arch construction. Newly constructed bridges, especially those on autostrade, are of reinforced or prestressed concrete; the most common types of concrete structures are beam, arch, girder, bowstring, and cantilever. Steel bridges are of girder or through tress design, and some lift bridges have been built to permit passage of waterway traffic. The only timber bridges are located on rural roads. Vertical clearances on almost all bridges are unlimited; in the few cases where there is a restriction, the clearance is at least 14 feet. Horizontal clearance on all autostrade and on most state highways is equal to the road width. There are a large number of narrow bridges on less use provincial and communal highways. Most structures have high load capacities; the older brick and stonemasonry bridges and the new concrete and steel bridges have load capacities of from 40 to 100 tons. Timber bridges have limited load capacities, generally from 2 to 7 tons. There are numerous tunnels and galleries on the network. The longest is the 7.2-mile Mont Blanc Tunnel that affords an international connection with France. Seagoing ferries offer rail and motor vehicle service internationally and to offshore islands. The two most important routes are the 5-mile crossing between Villa San Giovanni to Messina and the 9.3-mile crossing from Reggio di Calabria to Messina. Ferries also operate from Genoa to Sardinia and Sicily and from Livorno and Civitavecchia to Sardinia.
The National Autonomous Agency for State Highways (Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade Statali—ANAS) is the government agency responsible for the construction and maintenance of state highways and the autostrade system. The Minister of Public Works serves as president of ANAS and presides over an Administrative Council that approves the organization's budget, program, and policies. Below the national level, highway technical offices located in the provinces and communes are concerned with the construction and maintenance of roads. The central government has assumed greater control over provincial and communal highways because of the shortage of funds at the local level. The construction
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
