National highways were born. On April 9, the Council of Ministers, convened to ratify the decree on the economy and finances (Def), Approved the joint proposal from the Ministry of the Economy and that of Transport on creation of a new company entirely controlled by the State and which will be responsible for the 200 kilometers of toll highway currently managed by Anas Spa One of the main objectives of the future public company will be to intervene on the cost of the toll Highway, from the revision of the current systemwhich is based on the use of concessionary companies, to obtain direct control in the near future.
A control and intervention body which will have to ensure that the enormous sums toll revenue is effectively transformed into necessary work modernization and maintenance of the motorway network without having to further increase costs by applying further increases. Good news, given that expenses expected in the coming years for such works he wanders around 40 billion. A difficult figure to find in a short time, given the current system.
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Concessions, how do Italian motorways work?
According to Ansfisa, the agency responsible for infrastructure and transport security, the Italian motorway network has a total extension of approximately 8,000 km whose sole owner is the State [1]. Among these, Anas, a company controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, currently manages around 1900. The remaining more than 6 thousand kilometers are entrusted either to the management of the different regions (162 km), or to private companies under concession (5946 km). .
The motorway concession is an economic agreement therefore the State owns the roads entrusted, for a very long term, to a private company specialized in the management and maintenance of a certain route in exchange for profits from tolls. This is the biggest difference from the public procurement system, in which a company receives a fixed amount in exchange for the service provided. The concession relationship is further defined as partnership, where both parties have common goals.
The cost of the toll the highway, however, it cannot be decided arbitrarily with private companies, but by the State through Cipess (better known by the old name Cipe), the economic planning committee, responsible for ratifying the regulations for all public investments in Italy. These are implemented by the Institution and applied by the concession company.
Future Benefits
National highways will relieve Anas of the burden of managing the toll section who currently holds e it will remain to take care of the remaining free section and the national roads. The new business it will do 200 km for now which, through Anas, are entrusted to the beneficiary companies and they include crucial intersections such as Mont Blanc, the Fréjus tunnels, the Passante di Mestre and the Asti-Cuneo highway. A return to the hands of the State which will have considerable benefits, according to the Ministries of Economy and Transport.
First on security: state economic control, based on transparency, would reduce the risk of crime and eliminate the profit logic of private companies and this would therefore avoid the phenomena of mismanagement that the news still too often highlights. THE Control the State would encourage investments in maintenance and modernization work, therefore better functioning not of the single route but of the entire managed network. And this without having to burden citizens' pockets with increased tolls. Indeed, by removing the profit allocated to dealers, it will be possible to standardize prices which currently experience many variations.
Sources:
[1] Management of the Italian motorway network
