TRIESTE, 18.03.26

Construction crews have begun preparatory earthworks along Via del Porto Vecchio this week, marking the official start of a €340 million waterfront development project. Regional councillor Marta Bianchi confirmed on Monday that permits for five mixed-use towers had received final approval from the municipality, with groundbreaking ceremonies scheduled for early April.

Our correspondents in Trieste observed heavy machinery arriving at the former customs zone near Molo IV throughout the past fortnight. Excavators and pile drivers now occupy a stretch of reclaimed harbour land that sat dormant for nearly two decades following the closure of the old shipping terminal. Workers in high-visibility vests directed traffic as flatbed trucks hauled prefabricated steel reinforcement bars toward the staging area. According to figures that could not be independently verified, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Builders' Association estimates over 1,200 direct construction jobs will be created during the project's initial phase. Subcontractors specialising in marine foundation work have already secured agreements worth tens of millions of euros. Local cafés along Riva Tre Novembre have reported a noticeable uptick in early-morning customers since crews started arriving before dawn.

When we spoke with Davide Morosini, a structural engineer overseeing the deep foundation design, he emphasised the technical challenges posed by Trieste's unique geology. Beneath the harbour surface lies a complex stratigraphy of silty clay and fractured limestone, requiring specialised bored piling techniques rather than conventional driven piles. The project calls for over 400 load-bearing piles, some reaching depths exceeding 35 metres. Morosini noted that similar methods had proven successful during the renovation of the Stazione Marittima in 2019, though the scale here is considerably larger. Italy's National Institute for Construction Standards has dispatched inspectors to monitor compliance with updated seismic regulations that came into effect last year. The timeline remains unclear, yet developers have publicly committed to completing the first residential tower by late 2028.

Financing for the development comes from a consortium led by Adriatic Property Holdings, a regional investment group with stakes in commercial real estate across northeastern Italy. Public funds account for roughly 18 percent of the total budget, channelled through municipal bonds approved by the city council last autumn. Critics have raised concerns about the strain on existing infrastructure, particularly the narrow access roads that funnel into the old port district. A study commissioned by the Trieste Urban Planning Office recommends widening Via Miramare and constructing a secondary access ramp from the elevated bypass. That report, released in February, also flagged potential delays if archaeological surveys uncover Roman-era artefacts beneath the construction site. Oddly enough, a colony of feral cats that had made the abandoned customs building their home has been relocated to a shelter near Barcola.