Map of the autostrade of Italy

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

An autostrada regulation sign along an entrance ramp

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

Autostrada sign

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
A 1 759.8472.1 MilanNaples Autostrada del Sole 01964-01-011964current E35, E45
A 2 202.1125.6 RomeNaples Autostrada del Sole 01962-01-01196201988-01-011988 Absorbed into the A1
A 2 442.9275.2 SalernoReggio Calabria Autostrada del Mediterraneo 02017-01-012017current E45, E90, E841
A 3 51.732.1 NaplesSalerno 01974-01-011974current E45
A 4 522.4324.6 TurinTrieste Serenissima 01927-01-011927current E55, E64, E70
A 5 141.487.9 TurinMont Blanc Autostrada della Valle d'Aosta 01961-01-011961current E25, E612
A 6 123.776.9 TurinSavona La Verdemare 01960-01-011960current E717
A 7 135.584.2 MilanGenoa Serravalle 01935-01-011935current E25, E62
A 8 43.627.1 MilanVarese Autostrada dei Laghi 01924-01-011924current E35, E62
A 9 30.919.2 LainateChiasso Autostrada dei Laghi 01924-01-011924current E35
A 10 158.198.2 GenoaVentimiglia Autostrada dei Fiori 01967-01-011967current E25, E74, E80
A 11 81.750.8 FlorencePisa Autostrada Firenze-Mare 01933-01-011933current E76
A 12 210.0130.5 GenoaRosignano Marittimo Autostrada Azzurra 01967-01-011967current E80
A 13 116.772.5 BolognaPadua 01970-01-011970current
A 14 743.4461.9 BolognaTaranto Autostrada Adriatica 01966-01-011966current E45, E843
A 15 108.567.4 ParmaLa Spezia Autocamionale della Cisa 01975-01-011975current E33
A 16 172.5107.2 NaplesCanosa di Puglia Autostrada dei Due Mari 01966-01-011966current E842
A 17 242150 NaplesBari 01969-01-01196901973-01-011973 Absorbed into the A14 and A16
A 18 76.847.7 MessinaCatania 01971-01-011971current E45
A 18 SR-Gela 47.729.6 SyracuseIspica 01983-01-011983current E45
A 19 191.6119.1 PalermoCatania 01970-01-011970current E90, E932
A 20 183.0113.7 MessinaBuonfornello 01972-01-011972current E45, E90
A 21 238.3148.1 TurinBrescia Autostrada dei Vini 01968-01-011968current E70
A 22 315.0195.7 BrennerModena Autostrada del Brennero 01968-01-011968current E45
A 23 119.974.5 PalmanovaTarvisio Autostrada Alpe-Adria 01966-01-011966current E55
A 24 158.898.7 RomeTeramo Autostrada dei Parchi 01969-01-011969current E80
A 25 115.071.5 Torano di BorgorosePescara Autostrada dei Parchi 01969-01-011969current E80
A 26 197.1122.5 GenoaGravellona Toce Autostrada dei Trafori 01976-01-011976current E25, E62
A 27 82.551.3 VeniceBelluno Autostrada d'Alemagna 01972-01-011972current
A 28 48.830.3 PortogruaroConegliano 01974-01-011974current
A 29 114.871.3 PalermoMazara del Vallo Autostrada del Sale 01972-01-011972current E90
A 30 55.334.4 CasertaSalerno 01975-01-011975current
A 31 88.755.1 Badia PolesinePiovene Rocchette Autostrada della Val d'Astico 01976-01-011976current
A 32 73.045.4 TurinFréjus Road Tunnel Autostrada del Frejus 01983-01-011983current E70
A 33 23.014.3 CuneoCarrù 02005-01-012005current
A 34 17.510.9 VillesseGorizia 02013-01-012013current
A 35 54.834.1 CastegnatoMelzo BreBeMi 02014-01-012014current
A 36 23.014.3 Cassano MagnagoLentate sul Seveso Pedemontana Lombarda 02015-01-012015current
A 50 31.319.4 Ring road around Milan Tangenziale Ovest di Milano 01968-01-011968current E35, E62
A 51 30.719.1 Ring road around Milan Tangenziale Est di Milano 01971-01-011971current
A 52 21.613.4 Ring road around Milan Tangenziale Nord di Milano 01994-01-011994current
A 53 9.25.7 BereguardoPavia 01960-01-011960current
A 54 8.45.2 Ring road around Pavia Tangenziale Ovest di Pavia 01994-01-011994current
A 55 57.535.7 Ring road around Turin Tangenziale di Torino 01976-01-011976current E70
A 56 20.212.6 Ring road around Naples Tangenziale di Napoli 01972-01-011972current
A 57 26.716.6 Ring road around Mestre Tangenziale di Mestre 01972-01-011972current E55
A 58 31.819.8 Ring road around Milan Tangenziale Est Esterna di Milano 02014-01-012014current
A 59 2.91.8 Ring road around Como Tangenziale di Como 02015-01-012015current
A 60 4.52.8 Ring road around Varese Tangenziale di Varese 02015-01-012015current
A 90 68.242.4 Ring road around Rome Grande Raccordo Anulare di Roma 01951-01-011951current E80
A 91 18.411.4 RomeFiumicino Airport 01959-01-011959current E80
A 93 42.326.3 MareneAsti 02007-01-012007current E74
  •       Former

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.

NumberName (length)Connection
A1Raccordo Milano-Piazzale Corvetto (2 km)A1 - Milano Piazzale Corvetto
A1Diramazione Capodichino (3 km)A1 - Aeroporto di Capodichino - A56
A1dirDiramazione Roma nord (23 km)A1 - GRA
A1dirDiramazione Roma sud (20 km)A1 - GRA
A1varVariante di Valico (32,966 km)A1 - A1
A2A2 dir. Napoli (2 km)A2 - A3
A2A2 dir. Reggio Calabria (9 km)A2 - Reggio Calabria
A4Raccordo Chivasso (6 km)A4 - Verolengo
A4/A5Raccordo Ivrea-Santhià (23,6 km)A4 - A5
Raccordo Aosta-Gran San Bernardo (7,9 km)A5 - SS27
A6Diramazione per Fossano (6,6 km)A6 - Fossano
A8/A26Diramazione Gallarate-Gattico (23,2 km)A8 - A26
A11/A12Diramazione Lucca-Viareggio (20 km)A11 - A12
A12Diramazione per Livorno (4,5 km)A12 - Livorno
A13Diramazione per Padova sud (4,3 km)A13 - Padova
A13Diramazione per Ferrara (6,3 km)A13 - Ferrara - RA8
A14Raccordo per Tangenziale di Bari (4,6 km)A14 - Tangenziale di Bari
A14dirDiramazione per Ravenna (29,8 km)A14 - Ravenna
A15Diramazione La Spezia-Santo Stefano di MagraSanto Stefano di Magra - A15 - La Spezia
A18dirDiramazione per Catania (3,7 km)A18 - Catania
A19dirRaccordo A19-Palermo (5,2 km)A19 - Circonvallazione di Palermo
A21dirDiramazione per Fiorenzuola (12,3)A1 - A21
A4/A26Diramazione Stroppiana-Santhià (29,7 km)A4 - A26
A26/A7Diramazione Predosa-Bettole (17 km)A7 - A26
A29dirDiramazione Alcamo-Trapani (36,9 km)A29 - Trapani
A29dirADiramazione per Birgi (13,1 km)A29dir - Aeroporto di Trapani-Birgi
A29raccBretella aeroporto Falcone e Borsellino (4 km)A29 - Aeroporto di Palermo
A29racc bisRaccordo per via Belgio (5,6 km)A29 - Circonvallazione di Palermo
A55Diramazione per Pinerolo (23,44 km)A55 - Pinerolo
A55Diramazione per Moncalieri (6,18 km)A6 - Moncalieri
A55Raccordo della Falchera (3,13 km)A55 - A4 - SR 11
A57Bretella/raccordo aeroporto (6,73 km)A57 - Aeroporto di Venezia

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.

T1Traforo del Monte Bianco
T2Traforo del Gran San Bernardo
T4Traforo 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.

SymbolNumber
RA1A1 - A13 - A14

(Tangenziale di Bologna)

RA2A3 - Avellino
RA3A1 - Siena
RA4A3 - Reggio Calabria - SS106
RA5A3 - Potenza
RA6A1 - Perugia
A53 (or RA7)A7 - Tangenziale di Pavia
RA8A13 - Ferrara - Porto Garibaldi
RA9A16 - Benevento
RA10Torino - A55 - Turin Airport
RA11Ascoli - A14 - Porto d'Ascoli
RA12A25 - Chieti - A14 - Pescara
RA13A4 - SS202
RA14RA13 - Fernetti (state border with Slovenia)
RA15A18 - A19 - Aut. CT-SR

(Tangenziale di Catania)

RA16A28 - SS13 Pontebbana

Strade extraurbane principali

Strada extraurbana principale sign

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

References

  1. ↑ "Aggiornamenti sull'evoluzione del regolamento europeo (AFIR) per la modifica della direttiva europea in materia di combustibili alternativi (DAFI)" [Updates on the evolution of the European regulation (AFIR) for the amendment of the European directive on alternative fuels (DAFI)] (PDF) (in Italian). AISCAT.
  2. ↑ "Benetton Family to Control Italian Toll Road Operator". The New York Times. February 22, 2003. Archived from the original on 2022-10-19.
  3. ↑ Infrastructure company controlled by the Benetton family
  4. ↑ The "Milano-Laghi" by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world
  5. ↑ Art. 175, Nuovo codice della strada
  6. ↑ Art. 372 Regolamento di esecuzione del codice della strada
  7. 1 2 "Disegno di Legge" [draft law], Legislative Decree (in Italian), Senato della repubblica, no. 967, p. 2, 1988-04-07
  8. ↑ 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.
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