Cagliari, 10 years for a concrete skeleton: construction site for low-cost housing in San Benedetto has been unblocked.
Construction time has increased almost three times over expected. The municipality and the contractor reached an agreement: compensation has been awarded, and a new firm is now being sought to complete the 40 apartments between Via Boito, Via Donizetti, and Via Rossini.Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Changes, delays, rising material prices, and intermittent construction, partly due to the heat. A long story spanning nearly ten years has reached its final chapter. But not with the inauguration of the homes, but with a "consensual divorce." The issue of the low-cost housing planned for Via Boito, Via Rossini, and Via Donizetti has been resolved . The Municipality of Cagliari and the company "Costruzioni Mariano Cabras" have signed an early termination of the contract for the social housing project in San Benedetto, which involves the demolition of an old municipal building and the construction of 40 new affordable rental units. The agreement prevents the construction site from being held up for years in court.
Established way back in 2007 through a program agreement between the Region and the Municipality and reorganized in 2015 with European funding totaling over €4.5 million, the project was awarded to the Cabras company in 2015 for approximately €3 million . However, since work began in 2018, the construction site has become an obstacle course : five variant and supplementary appraisals, additional technical studies for safe demolition, unexpected disruptions to public utility networks, and then the summer heatwaves. All of this has increased the theoretical duration of the work from the initially planned 540 days to 1,368 days. The crucial point comes in 2025: with the severe delay, the contractual penalties payable by the company had exceeded the maximum threshold of 10% (equal to over €397,000). On the other hand, the construction company has complained about the financial imbalance caused by the rising prices of raw materials.
Faced with the real risk of a lengthy and costly lawsuit, the municipal administration, having received a favorable opinion from the legal team, decided to seek a settlement . In the end , Palazzo Bacaredda will award the company compensation of approximately €270,000 . The demolition of the old building has been completed, and the entire rough frame of the new building (foundations, pillars, floors, and elevator shafts) has been constructed. All that remains is the infill walls, the systems and interior finishes, and finally the landscaping of the outdoor area and the connections to public utilities. Now the ball is back in the court of the technical offices on Via Roma: to complete the 40 apartments, the Municipality will have to issue a new tender to assign the work and then deliver the apartments to the families struggling with the housing emergency.