The 3rd mega section of the Jonica trunk road develops in the province of Cosenza at the intersection with the current State Road 106 and State Road  no. 534, reaching Roseto Capo Spulico, through the towns of the Alto Jonio Cosentino like Cassano allo Ionio, Francavilla Marittima, Cerchiara di Calabria, Villapiana, Trebisacce, Albidona, Amendolara and Roseto Capo Spulico, all in the province of Cosenza.

Megalot 3 of the Ionian Highway 106 represents one of the essential elements of the project that will transform the Ionian Corridor into a large well connected road infrastructure that will bring together the Ioanian coasts of Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia. 

The Ionian Highway 106 is an important artery for connecting Reggio Calabria and Taranto, finishing at Taranto. Megalot 3 is the most complex road.

The completion of Megalot 3 plays a particularly strategic important role, as the infrastructure belongs to the Trans-European Network (TEN-T). The project comprises building 38 km of a main extra-urban road (category B), closing the link between the A14 ("Adriatica") and A2 (“Autostrada del Mediterraneo”) motorway axes, and to effectively connect the three coastal sides (Ionian, Tyrrhenian and Adriatic) through fast roads with the main aim of strengthening mobility in the South of Italy and improving the accessibility in the coastal towns and the inner area of Calabria, reducing travelling times and road increasing safety. 

The project features along its entire length a presence of 5km of natural tunnels (double-barrel ones excavated using the traditional method), 5 km of articial tunnels, 7 km of viaducts, 4 interjections and 4 smaller works like overpasses, underpasses and water crossings.

The Roseto 1 Tunnel, located north of Castello di Roseto, near Roseto Marina, develops for approximately 1.2 km, and is being carried out with the traditional excavations methods. It is a double-barrel tunnel, one per direction. 

The excavation for the south carriageway tunnel was completed on February 28, 2024 - Read the press release

Innovation and technologies serving the territory

Megalot 3 of the Ionian Trunk Road sets itself apart for its innovative and modern approach used to build it, with tailored-designed solutions capable of meeting the project's peculiar challenges, which are essentially connected to the soil's features and to the complexity of the territory.

The first 18km run along the Piana di Sibari to the Satanasso and Saraceno rivers feature mountainous steepness. The other 20 km, from the Trebisacce. Thanks to sophisticated monitoring systems, it was possible to constantly control the status of the works being built. 

The area is filled with history and beautiful landscape, with the archaeological site of the ancient city of Sibari and historical testimonies like Roseto Castle, besides numerous torrents and terracings.

The viaducts are mainly built in concrete, a material that ensures a greaterresilience to the typical environmental conditions of the coastal area. An exception to the rule can be found in the Avena viaduct, featuring steel piles arranged in a V shape, which integrate in the surrounding landscape giving the structure a distinctive architectural elegance.

Both natural and artificial tunnels are made using advanced excavation techniques, to reduce the impact on the surrounding territory to the minimum.