The Italian authorities are revising plans for an extension to the A12 Tirrenica highway. The new plan is for the section of A12 linking Livorno (Rosignano Marittimo) with Civitavecchia. The estimated price for the project has been reduced from €3.7 billion to €2.3 billion. The final plans for the project are due from Italian road management firm Societa Autostrada Tirrenica before March 2011. The regional authorities for Tuscany are keen to minimise the environmental impact of the project, aware of long standing opposition to the highway from many local groups and have rerouted the highway accordingly. Tunnels and various route diversions have been proposed by the authorities in an attempt to deal with the opposition. This highway extension project was first proposed in 1963 and runs parallel to the historic Aurelia route, which dates back to Roman times.
