How the “workers’ village” for the Pedemontana was created

A genuine “workers’ village” for the Pedemontana, with recreational areas and accommodation for over 200 workmen. The “base camp” is situated between Castiglione Olona and Lozza, on Provincial Road No. 42, exactly where the tributary of the Olona River overflowed last May. The banks were immediately fixed and in no time, construction began of one of the two base camps (the other one is in Turate) necessary for the works linked to the Pedemontana motorway.

The base camp in Castiglione Olona should be complete by the end of December, and ready to welcome 160 labourers and about 40 office staff. “There will be sleeping and recreation areas, a first aid room, offices, a canteen and workshops,” said Claudio Vigliaroli, the foreman involved in building the “village”. “Unfortunately the rain over these last few days is certainly not helping, but the construction site is proceeding well.”

It is from this area that work on the first part of the Varese bypass, connecting Lozza to Gazzada, with a 2km, twin tunnel, and then joining the A8 motorway junction in Gazzada, will begin.

“This work will take several years; we hope to win the contract, because I would be working near home for once.” Vigliaroli is 49 years old. and is not new to this kind of work; he was also involved in the construction of the high-speed motorway in Mesero, also through the Italian construction company, CIC. “These base camps don’t have any particular names,” he explains, “but they’re useful for building a team, to make the workers feel at home, in some way. I’m from Gavirate, so I can commute, but if the atmosphere created is positive, you also feel it when you’re working.”

The base camp is divided on both sides of the provincial road: on one side, going towards the river, there are all the prefabricated buildings, with sleeping areas and various facilities; on the other side, there are the material and machinery stores necessary for the building of the motorway.

A lot of work has to be done on the “village”, some of the prefabricated buildings are already in place. “But we still have others to put up,” the foreman said. “Over the next few days, we’re going to put up the ones for the recreation areas, with vending machines and televisions. The local priest has asked for a place of worship to be built, where he can hold church services, but we have to see first how many believers there are, and how many are going to want this area.”