A dirt road in the heart of Sardinia

Extreme heat and steep slopes are no match for an FAE MTL when creating a dirt road in the Sardinian backcountry

For years, Brodu Srl, a business based in Gonnesa in South Sardinia, has performed different activities as part of its agricultural business and as a contractor for various local companies. “We purchased an FAE MTL in March of 2022,” says owner Roberto Brodu. “This highly versatile multitask machine immediately allowed us to expand our activities with a wide range of jobs and improve the jobs we were already doing with the STC, our other FAE. These machines are perfect for using together”.

The worksite in question is in Calangianus, in the backcountry of Gallura in the northern part of the island. “A road starts here and crosses dense woods to Mount Limbara, a very interesting location from a landscape perspective, since it is also a conservation area”, says Roberto.

A few months ago, the local Union of Municipalities "Alta Gallura" commissioned the resurfacing of this dirt road by a pool of local businesses, including Brodu Srl, which works as a subcontractor along with the company Ledda Costruzioni.

It is a municipal road used by the many tourists who visit the area, but it is also an important access road for emergency vehicles in the event of a fire.

“The worksite involved a stretch of dirt road around 5 km long, between 3 and 4 meters wide, and with a 25-30% slope, to be restored with strictly ecological materials”, explains Brodu. “We worked in several different steps. First, we worked with our excavator to pretreat the land. We then leveled the road surface with a grader towed by a tractor. At this point, the real tilling phase began with our FAE MTL equipped with a water spray system. With outside temperatures reaching 46°, soaking the soil was absolutely essential. Some days, we even had to stop due to the heat. After this process, we laid the binder with a dedicated 8-cubic-meter machine. Lastly, we finished the job with the MTL. We went over everything with the compacting roller, and then soaked the soil again. This treated section of road can be used three days after the job is complete.”

The overall opinion of the machine is positive. “Certainly, the hardness of the soil really put the teeth to the test. When you’re working, granite is unavoidable. We replaced a few, but we were able to reach a speed of 300-400 meters per hour (getting up to 600 meters per hour), with a fuel consumption of 25-30 liters per hour. The machine also worked nicely when going uphill."