Sunday afternoon commuters in the Italian capital faced gridlock after a blaze in roadside scrub forced police to seal both carriageways of the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA) between the Laurentina (SS 148) and Pontina exits. The closure came at the start of a busy turnover day for holiday rentals, with thousands heading to and from Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. Fire crews battled flames whipped by 40 km/h gusts that quickly spread through bone-dry vegetation, sending dense smoke across the six-lane orbital motorway and cutting visibility to near zero. Traffic was diverted onto secondary routes, clogging Via Cristoforo Colombo and Via Ostiense; average journey time from the EUR business district to Fiumicino airport spiked from 25 to 75 minutes. Authorities reopened the inner carriageway after two hours but kept the outer lanes closed for additional clean-up and inspection of safety barriers. No injuries were reported, yet the episode highlighted the impact of extreme summer heat on the capital’s mobility infrastructure and the knock-on effects for international travellers catching evening long-haul departures. Travel managers should alert assignees that further sporadic lane closures are possible as temperatures remain above 35 °C and wind persists. Real-time updates are available via the ‘LuceVerde Roma’ traffic portal and the Rome Airport app. Companies may wish to book hotel rooms near Fiumicino for crews and key staff during the current high-risk period to avoid missed flights. The Municipality of Rome has pledged to accelerate roadside mowing and install additional fire-breaks along the GRA, but implementation will take months. Until then, contingency journey-time allowances of at least one extra hour for airport transfers are advisable for all corporate travellers.
Source: ANSA
