Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino said Friday the construction schedule for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin was right on target and that there had been only a few minor obstacles.
He said the biggest problem so far have been physiological. “We discovered an intact American bomb left over from World War 2 under the Stadio Comunale and the speedskating centre has required some special materials that we’ve had trouble with.
“We were lucky this summer in that it hardly rained and we were able to make significant progress in construction”.
Chiamparino said work was finally proceeding on the two main alpine roads to the ski resorts in the surrounding Piedmont region. “Although we will still need to keep cars off the road or the skiers will never arrive”, he said.
The Associated Press reports that most of the roads leading to Sestriere, where most of the alpine events will be held, are only one or two lanes, as compared to the multi-lane highways going up to the base of alpine venues outside Salt Lake City.
Chiamparino said 1.8 billion euros are being invested in construction for the Games, not just in Turin, but the entire Piedmont region.
He added that a million visitors were expected in Turin for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
