Autostrade of Italy
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2015) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Italia_-_mappa_autostrade.svg/250px-Italia_-_mappa_autostrade.svg.png)
The Autostrade (Italian: [autoˈstraːde]; singular autostrada [autoˈstraːda]) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about 7,016 kilometres (4,360 mi), as of 30 July 2022.[1] In North and Central Italy, the Autostrade mainly consists of tollways managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, a holding company controlled by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.[2][3] Other operators include ASTM, ATP, and Autostrade Lombarde in the north-west; Autostrada del Brennero, A4 Holding, Concessioni Autostradali Venete, and Autovie Venete in the north-east; Strada dei Parchi, SALT, SAT, and Autocisa in the center; and CAS in the south.
History
Italy became the first country to inaugurate motorways reserved for motor vehicles with the A8.[4] The Milan-Laghi motorway (connecting Milan to Varese) was devised by Piero Puricelli, a civil engineer and entrepreneur. He received the first authorization to build a public-utility fast road in 1921, and completed the construction (one lane each direction) between 1924 and 1926. By the end of the 1930s, over 400 kilometers of multi- and dual-single-lane motorways had been constructed throughout Italy, linking cities and rural towns.
Traffic laws
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_autostrada_in_2020.02.jpg/170px-Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_autostrada_in_2020.02.jpg)
Italy's autostrade must not be used by:[5]
- Pedestrians and animals (except in rest areas)
- Pedal-cycles
- Mopeds
- Motorcycles having an engine displacement less than 150 cubic centimetres (9.2 cu in) (if equipped with an internal combustion engine)
- Sidecars having an engine displacement less than 250 cc (15 cu in) (if equipped with an internal combustion engine)
- Motorized tricycles designed for the transport of people with up to 2 seats having an engine displacement less than 250 cc (15 cu in) (if equipped with an internal combustion engine) or having an engine power less than 15 kilowatts (20 PS; 20 bhp)
- Motorcycle-like vehicles (motoveicoli) not included in previous categories having an empty vehicle weight up to 400 kg (880 lb) or a gross vehicle mass up to 1,300 kg (2,900 lb)
- Cars with a maximum speed on flat road less than 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) [6]
- Vehicles without tyres
- Agricultural vehicles and technical vehicles (e.g. heavy equipment)
Speed
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_autostrada_%28figura_II_345%29.svg/80px-Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_autostrada_%28figura_II_345%29.svg.png)
Italy's autostrade have a standard speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph) for cars. Limits for other vehicles (or when visibility is poor due to weather) are lower. Legal provisions allow operators to set the limit to 150 km/h (95 mph) on their concessions on a voluntary basis if there are three lanes in each direction and a working SICVE, or Safety Tutor, which is a speed-camera system that measures the average speed over a given distance. However, no autostrada is using this system as of 2022.
The first speed limit, to 120 km/h (75 mph), was enacted in November 1973 as a result of the 1973 oil crisis.[7] In October 1977, a graduated system was introduced: cars with engine displacement above 1.3 L (79 cu in) had a 140 km/h (85 mph) speed limit, cars of 900–1299 cm3 had a limit of 130 km/h (80 mph), those of 600–899 cm3 could drive at 110 km/h (70 mph), and those of 599 cm3 (36.6 cu in) or less had a maximum speed of 90 km/h (55 mph).[7] In July 1988 a blanket speed limit of 110 km/h (70 mph) was imposed on all cars above 600 cm3 (the lower limit was kept for smaller cars) by the short-lived PSDI government. In September 1989 this was increased to 130 km/h (80 mph) for cars above 1.1 L (67 cu in) and 110 km/h (70 mph) for smaller ones.[8]
List of current Autostrade
Number | Length (km) | Length (mi) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Route name | Formed | Removed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
759.8 | 472.1 | Milan | Naples | Autostrada del Sole | 1964 | current | E35, E45 |
![]() |
202.1 | 125.6 | Rome | Naples | Autostrada del Sole | 1962 | 1988 | Absorbed into the A1 |
![]() |
442.9 | 275.2 | Salerno | Reggio Calabria | Autostrada del Mediterraneo | 2017 | current | E45, E90, E841 |
![]() |
51.7 | 32.1 | Naples | Salerno | 1974 | current | E45 | |
![]() |
522.4 | 324.6 | Turin | Trieste | Serenissima | 1927 | current | E55, E64, E70 |
![]() |
141.4 | 87.9 | Turin | Mont Blanc | Autostrada della Valle d'Aosta | 1961 | current | E25, E612 |
![]() |
123.7 | 76.9 | Turin | Savona | La Verdemare | 1960 | current | E717 |
![]() |
135.5 | 84.2 | Milan | Genoa | Serravalle | 1935 | current | E25, E62 |
![]() |
43.6 | 27.1 | Milan | Varese | Autostrada dei Laghi | 1924 | current | E35, E62 |
![]() |
30.9 | 19.2 | Lainate | Chiasso | Autostrada dei Laghi | 1924 | current | E35 |
![]() |
158.1 | 98.2 | Genoa | Ventimiglia | Autostrada dei Fiori | 1967 | current | E25, E74, E80 |
![]() |
81.7 | 50.8 | Florence | Pisa | Autostrada Firenze-Mare | 1933 | current | E76 |
![]() |
210.0 | 130.5 | Genoa | Rosignano Marittimo | Autostrada Azzurra | 1967 | current | E80 |
![]() |
116.7 | 72.5 | Bologna | Padua | 1970 | current | ||
![]() |
743.4 | 461.9 | Bologna | Taranto | Autostrada Adriatica | 1966 | current | E45, E843 |
![]() |
108.5 | 67.4 | Parma | La Spezia | Autocamionale della Cisa | 1975 | current | E33 |
![]() |
172.5 | 107.2 | Naples | Canosa di Puglia | Autostrada dei Due Mari | 1966 | current | E842 |
![]() |
242 | 150 | Naples | Bari | 1969 | 1973 | Absorbed into the A14 and A16 | |
![]() |
76.8 | 47.7 | Messina | Catania | 1971 | current | E45 | |
![]() |
47.7 | 29.6 | Syracuse | Ispica | 1983 | current | E45 | |
![]() |
191.6 | 119.1 | Palermo | Catania | 1970 | current | E90, E932 | |
![]() |
183.0 | 113.7 | Messina | Buonfornello | 1972 | current | E45, E90 | |
![]() |
238.3 | 148.1 | Turin | Brescia | Autostrada dei Vini | 1968 | current | E70 |
![]() |
315.0 | 195.7 | Brenner | Modena | Autostrada del Brennero | 1968 | current | E45 |
![]() |
119.9 | 74.5 | Palmanova | Tarvisio | Autostrada Alpe-Adria | 1966 | current | E55 |
![]() |
158.8 | 98.7 | Rome | Teramo | Autostrada dei Parchi | 1969 | current | E80 |
![]() |
115.0 | 71.5 | Torano di Borgorose | Pescara | Autostrada dei Parchi | 1969 | current | E80 |
![]() |
197.1 | 122.5 | Genoa | Gravellona Toce | Autostrada dei Trafori | 1976 | current | E25, E62 |
![]() |
82.5 | 51.3 | Venice | Belluno | Autostrada d'Alemagna | 1972 | current | |
![]() |
48.8 | 30.3 | Portogruaro | Conegliano | 1974 | current | ||
![]() |
114.8 | 71.3 | Palermo | Mazara del Vallo | Autostrada del Sale | 1972 | current | E90 |
![]() |
55.3 | 34.4 | Caserta | Salerno | 1975 | current | ||
![]() |
88.7 | 55.1 | Badia Polesine | Piovene Rocchette | Autostrada della Val d'Astico | 1976 | current | |
![]() |
73.0 | 45.4 | Turin | Fréjus Road Tunnel | Autostrada del Frejus | 1983 | current | E70 |
![]() |
23.0 | 14.3 | Cuneo | Carrù | 2005 | current | ||
![]() |
17.5 | 10.9 | Villesse | Gorizia | 2013 | current | ||
![]() |
54.8 | 34.1 | Castegnato | Melzo | BreBeMi | 2014 | current | |
![]() |
23.0 | 14.3 | Cassano Magnago | Lentate sul Seveso | Pedemontana Lombarda | 2015 | current | |
![]() |
31.3 | 19.4 | Ring road around Milan | Tangenziale Ovest di Milano | 1968 | current | E35, E62 | |
![]() |
30.7 | 19.1 | Ring road around Milan | Tangenziale Est di Milano | 1971 | current | ||
![]() |
21.6 | 13.4 | Ring road around Milan | Tangenziale Nord di Milano | 1994 | current | ||
![]() |
9.2 | 5.7 | Bereguardo | Pavia | 1960 | current | ||
![]() |
8.4 | 5.2 | Ring road around Pavia | Tangenziale Ovest di Pavia | 1994 | current | ||
![]() |
57.5 | 35.7 | Ring road around Turin | Tangenziale di Torino | 1976 | current | E70 | |
![]() |
20.2 | 12.6 | Ring road around Naples | Tangenziale di Napoli | 1972 | current | ||
![]() |
26.7 | 16.6 | Ring road around Mestre | Tangenziale di Mestre | 1972 | current | E55 | |
![]() |
31.8 | 19.8 | Ring road around Milan | Tangenziale Est Esterna di Milano | 2014 | current | ||
![]() |
2.9 | 1.8 | Ring road around Como | Tangenziale di Como | 2015 | current | ||
![]() |
4.5 | 2.8 | Ring road around Varese | Tangenziale di Varese | 2015 | current | ||
![]() |
68.2 | 42.4 | Ring road around Rome | Grande Raccordo Anulare di Roma | 1951 | current | E80 | |
![]() |
18.4 | 11.4 | Rome | Fiumicino Airport | 1959 | current | E80 | |
A 93 | 42.3 | 26.3 | Marene | Asti | 2007 | current | E74 | |
|
List of bretelle and raccordi autostradali
Some autostrade are called bretelle, diramazioni or raccordi because they are short and have few exits.
Bretelle, diramazioni or raccordi are generally connections between two motorways, or connections between motorways and important cities without a motorway.
They have the same number (sometimes with the suffix dir) as one of the two autostrade linked, a combination of the numbers of the two autostrade linked, or the number of the main autostrada.
Trafori (T)
Important alpine tunnels ((in Italian) trafori) are identified by the capital letter "T" followed by a single digit number. Currently there are only three T-classified tunnels: Mont Blanc Tunnel (T1), Great St Bernard Tunnel (T2) and Frejus Road Tunnel (T4). Tunnels that cross the border between Italy and France (T1, T4) or Switzerland (T2), are treated as motorways (green signage, access control, and so on), although they are not proper motorways. The code T3 was once assigned to the Bargagli-Ferriere Tunnel in Ligurian Apennines before it was reclassified as SP 226.
![]() |
Traforo del Monte Bianco |
![]() |
Traforo del Gran San Bernardo |
![]() |
Traforo del Frejus |
Raccordi autostradali (RA)
RA stands for Raccordo autostradale (translated as "motorway connection"), a relatively short spur route that connects an autostrada to a nearby city or tourist resort not directly served by the motorway. These spurs are owned and managed by ANAS (with some exceptions, such as the RA7 that became A53 when assigned to a private company for maintenance). Some spurs are toll-free motorways (type-A), but most are type-B or type-C roads. All RA have separate carriageways with two lanes in each direction. Generally, they do not have an emergency lane.
Symbol | Number | |
---|---|---|
![]() |
RA1 | A1 - A13 - A14 |
![]() |
RA2 | A3 - Avellino |
![]() |
RA3 | A1 - Siena |
![]() |
RA4 | A3 - Reggio Calabria - SS106 |
![]() |
RA5 | A3 - Potenza |
![]() |
RA6 | A1 - Perugia |
![]() |
A53 (or RA7) | A7 - Tangenziale di Pavia |
![]() |
RA8 | A13 - Ferrara - Porto Garibaldi |
![]() |
RA9 | A16 - Benevento |
![]() |
RA10 | Torino - A55 - Turin Airport |
![]() |
RA11 | Ascoli - A14 - Porto d'Ascoli |
![]() |
RA12 | A25 - Chieti - A14 - Pescara |
![]() |
RA13 | A4 - SS202 |
![]() |
RA14 | RA13 - Fernetti (state border with Slovenia) |
![]() |
RA15 | A18 - A19 - Aut. CT-SR |
![]() |
RA16 | A28 - SS13 Pontebbana |
Strade extraurbane principali
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_strada_extraurbana_principale_%28figura_II_345%29.svg/80px-Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_strada_extraurbana_principale_%28figura_II_345%29.svg.png)
Type B highway (or strada extraurbana principale), commonly but unofficially known as superstrada (Italian equivalent for expressway), is a divided highway with at least two lanes in each direction, paved shoulder on the right, no cross-traffic and no at-grade intersections. Access restrictions on such highways are exactly the same as autostrade. Signage at the beginning and the end of the highways is the same, except the background color is blue instead of green. The general speed limit on strade extraurbane principali is 110 km/h. Strade extraurbane principali are not tolled. All strade extraurbane principali are owned and managed by ANAS, and directly controlled by the Italian government or by the regions.
See also
- State highway (Italy)
- Transport in Italy
- Rai isoradio
- List of controlled-access highway systems
- Evolution of motorway construction in European nations
References
- ^ "Aiscat" (PDF).
- ^ "Benetton Family to Control Italian Toll Road Operator (Published 2003)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-10-19.
- ^ Infrastructure company controlled by the Benetton family
- ^ The “Milano-Laghi” by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world
- ^ Art. 175, Nuovo codice della strada
- ^ Art. 372 Regolamento di esecuzione del codice della strada
- ^ a b "Disegno di Legge" [draft law], Legislative Decree (in Italian), no. 967, Senato della repubblica, p. 2, 1988-04-07
- ^ Novella de Luca, Maria (1989-09-28). "'Via libera ai 130 km/h' la camera aumenta i limiti di velocità" [Green light for 130 km/h: chamber increases speed limits]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-01-18.