TRIESTE – Autostrade Alto Adriatico is aiming to freeze tolls until 2029 while work continues on completing the third lane of the A4.
The objective is set out in the update of the €1.895 billion economic and financial plan presented during the hearing of the First Commission at the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in Trieste, devoted to the 2022-2024 financial statements and the company’s outlook.
If confirmed, it would be a unique case in Italy: eleven consecutive years without toll increases, despite inflation since 2022 and the sharp rise in raw material costs. President Marco Monaco described the decision as “necessary” to support commuters and businesses in an economic phase that remains uncertain, marked by geopolitical tensions affecting purchasing power.
The international context itself has had a direct impact on costs: the economic and financial plan records an increase of around €600 million linked to higher raw material prices. Unlike other infrastructure projects, the construction of the third lane – with a total value of more than €2 billion – has been financed almost entirely through toll revenues, with profits reinvested in the territory.
On the operational side, the project has also had to contend with regulatory constraints and lengthy authorisation times. Investments can only be launched if they are included in the current economic and financial plan, and every amendment requires a complex procedure, with final approval entrusted to CIPESS. This was compounded by the delay caused by the takeover of the new concessionaire after the Autovie Venete concession expired in 2017.
Despite this framework, investments already completed exceed €1 billion, including €126 million in the 2022-2024 three-year period. A total of 76 kilometres of new infrastructure have been completed: 59 along the A4 and 17 on the A34 Villesse-Gorizia. The project included the construction of 22 bridges and viaducts, 27 overpasses, 37 underpasses and more than 120 hydraulic works, as well as noise barriers and new toll booths.
The most complex sections still have to be built. Among them are the 25 kilometres between San Donà and Portogruaro, with an €870 million investment already awarded to Consorzio Eteria. Work is due to start between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027, with completion in 2031. This will be followed by the section between the Palmanova junction and Villesse.
A key step was the capital increase to €105 million approved in 2024, with a €95 million contribution from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. The recapitalisation strengthened the company’s financial structure, also allowing it to exit its credit lines in 2025.
