Bologna, September 18, 2026 – The dismantling phase of the tram construction sites begins. The current orange protections set up to protect the new tracks will be replaced by metal protections, which are lighter, safer, and suitable for the circulation of vehicles, especially in the first seven kilometers of the trial phase of the Red Line, from Borgo Panigale to the city center.
From this moment until December, Bologna will experience this phase, with the progressive return of two-way traffic on some of the city’s most important arteries and with the road adjustments for the service testing. “We can say that 90% of the road areas involved have already been cleared, so traffic obstacles have been overcome – explains Mayor Matteo Lepore with the Mobility Councillor, Michele Campaniello –. But it is clear that citizens will see workers at work during these three months for the dismantling interventions, finishing, and adjustments. The important thing is that citizens do not think that the tram is unfinished.”
The road map in detail
Regarding the return to two-way traffic, it starts tomorrow, Saturday, September 19, with the segment of via di Corticella between via Bassanelli and via Edera de Giovanni, along the Green Line. Here the lanes will run along the edges of the roadway, crossed in the center by the tramway, passing under the recently widened railway overpass. In fact, from via Bassanelli it will be possible to continue in both directions up to the intersection with via Saliceto and via Giuriolo.
Also, the last stretch of via Sant’Anna, between via Bentini and Jack London, will return to two-way traffic like the rest of the road by the first week of October.
Wednesday, September 30 – at the conclusion of Cersaie – the return of two-way traffic will concern via San Donato, in the stretch between via Andreini and via Kharkov. On the public transport side, this will mean the resumption of the regular route for buses of line 20 towards Pilastro and the suburban/exurban lines of the San Donato direction (88, 93, 213, etc.) heading to the outskirts, suspending the deviation on Ferravilla and the ring road.
By October, finally, the last stretch of via Ugo Bassi will also return to two-way traffic up to the intersection with via Marconi. This measure will be preceded by a localized traffic modification, which starting Tuesday, September 22, will impose a right turn when exiting via Belvedere to allow the installation of the final traffic light system at the intersection with Malpighi and San Felice.
Removal of nets and asphalting
In other sections of the line, as the works are completed, the “orange” construction nets will be removed starting Saturday, September 19, with the only two streets in the historic center where they are still present, namely via dei Mille and via Lame. This operation will then affect other areas starting from the Fair (after the conclusion of Cersaie) and Piazza dell’Unità (mid-October).
By November, activities related to cable laying inside the new infrastructures for telecommunication lines carried out as part of the tram works along the via Emilia Ponente stretch, from Pontelungo to the intersection with via Prati di Caprara, will also be performed.
These telecommunication cable laying activities will involve temporary and specific detours along the roadway. Also by November, the final asphalting activities will take place at the intersection of via Emilia Ponente with via Prati di Caprara. These activities will last about 13 days in total, will be carried out in successive phases during day and night, and will involve temporary detours to traffic and lane narrowing at the intersection.
Focus on the Green Line
Among the most significant works still underway are those concerning the redevelopment of via Shakespeare, along which the park-and-ride lot, the extra-urban bus stop, and the secondary depot for the night parking of some trams intended for service on the Green Line are being built.
The structure of the multi-level park-and-ride and other buildings are already clearly visible. At the ends of the redeveloped stretch of via Shakespeare, two new roundabouts will be built to improve traffic flow (to build the Bentini-Shakespeare roundabout, the exit of via Bentini onto the roundabout will have to be closed for about a month) and – last but not least – a new tram-only bridge to cross the Navile canal towards the Corticella railway station and the Green Line terminus, which will be launched in the coming weeks. It is a new metal structure bridge that will stand alongside the existing road bridge and will blend into the landscape and the new park being created for the benefit of the entire neighborhood.
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