In the photo, from left: Linda Fattori, Sergio Finozzi, Maurizio Bocci, Laura Belmonte, Daniele Muratori, Matteo Casali, Andrea Grilli, Federico Bascucci.
The University of the Republic of San Marino, the Autonomous State Agency for Public Works (AASLP), and the Secretariat of State for Territory and Environment are cooperating to achieve rational road maintenance planning, the definition of precise technical standards, and careful quality control during construction, characterized by the application of eco-sustainable techniques. In this context, last week, a joint team visited the headquarters of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, a structure comparable in many respects to San Marino and known as a model of efficiency and innovation in the road sector, to gather useful information for defining road maintenance planning and intervention methods. The meeting involved the director of the Bolzano-Bassa Atesina Road Service, Sergio Finozzi, and the head of its Road Quality Control Laboratory, Renza Espen, who met with a delegation composed of Andrea Grilli, a researcher in the Civil Engineering Degree Courses at the University of San Marino, graduate students Laura Belmonte and Linda Fattori, the director of the AASLP Matteo Casali, the manager of the Roads and Reclamation sector of the AASLP Daniele Muratori, and Federico Bascucci, private secretary at the Secretariat of State for Territory and Environment. "Road infrastructure has always been considered an essential tool for a country's economic development and an indispensable service for any urban center," Grilli explained after the meeting. "Moreover, it represents an enormous public asset, the result of significant investments. Road maintenance," the university researcher continued, "is a complex of activities, both design and operational, aimed at preserving the functional and structural characteristics of the road. A fundamental step in maintenance is planning, which consists of scheduling the actions to be carried out according to a specific schedule and identifying a scale of priorities, based on economic and technical considerations, to achieve the ultimate goal of ensuring efficient operation of the road network." The Secretariat of State for Territory and Environment expresses great satisfaction with the strengthening of its relationship with the University of San Marino and hopes to soon establish a collaboration aimed at optimizing road maintenance interventions, with greater use of recycled materials in road surfaces. Projects of this kind will certainly benefit all participating entities with significant implications for the local community, enhancing the University's presence and highlighting the direct and indirect benefits resulting from that presence.