The dream is a new 17-kilometer road from Burcei to the old Orientale Sarda, passing through the municipalities of Sinnai and Maracalagonis. There's a plan, the funding, and the contract has even been awarded. But the construction schedule is dragging on, and the disruption is growing along with the protests.
Five citizens of Burcei—Vittorio Monni, Salvatore Malloru, Ignazio Saddi, Andrea Lobina, and Giuseppe Lorrai, members of the Committee for the Construction of the New Road—have written to Burcei's mayor, Simone Monni . They urge a public meeting to be held as soon as possible with the President of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, extending the invitation to the technicians still working on the project and to the mayors of Sinnai and Maracalagonis. A dream that has lasted twenty years, ever since the entrepreneur and publisher Sergio Zuncheddu submitted an initial plan to the Municipality. It was handed over to Dr. Murgolo, the then Prefectural Commissioner of the Municipality. Much time has passed since then. Yet, as mentioned, the money has arrived. And a company has even won the contract.
The meeting requested by the "Committee" aims to draft "a document (a sort of timetable) with precise commitments and certain timeframes for the construction of the road on which the future of Burcei depends, with benefits for the entire territorial area.
Engineer Paolo Mereu, head of the Metropolitan City's Roads Department, has been closely monitoring the progress of this project for years. "After completing a section of the road (with the widening of the final stretch of the route, towards the old Eastern highway), we are trying to expedite the start of work on the first lot. This will extend from the outskirts of Burcei: another kilometer of road, but in the opposite direction to the section already completed. The latest delays were caused by the geognostic surveys, which were completed in October. The contractor is now finalizing the executive design, which—the Metropolitan City director assures—will be followed by the opening of the construction site."
The Committee's representatives also denounce the significant damage (caused by the constant delays) to the community and local businesses. The costs of the project, they emphasize, have increased from €25 million to €65 million. The population, largely composed of commuters, also suffers from the isolation caused by the critical condition of Provincial Road 21, the only access route to the town, which also results in progressive depopulation.
Mayor Simone Monni, fresh from several meetings with the Regional Government and the Metropolitan City, reiterates the importance of the new road for local development and for combating depopulation, along with the connection to Villasalto and Gerrei. Residents are right to be impatient and disillusioned. We stand with them and support the Committee and their request. The new road is vital not only for Burcei, but for the entire local economy. There's a lot of talk about combating depopulation: I believe this is a project that can truly curb the phenomenon in Burcei, but also in Gerrei, if the connection to Villasalto becomes a reality. The administration has worked and continues to work tirelessly to facilitate the start of construction. Residents are right to be impatient and disillusioned with past promises, and we stand fully with them.
Mayor Monni says he "already raised my idea some time ago to hold a public meeting open to all, inviting first and foremost the Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari and, of course, the administrators of the affected municipalities. It would also be appropriate for the technical staff to be present so as to clearly explain the steps to be taken and any potential difficulties. We await the results, along with everyone at Burcei."