Water was found to be leaking into the Umberto I tunnel which connects Via Nazionale with Via del Tritone, causing a small part of the ceiling to collapse. The fire brigade has declared it unsafe and the city has ordered its closure, which has led to traffic congestion on nearby streets Via IV Novembre and Via delle Quattro Fontane.

The news comes only three years after upgrading work on the tunnel, including the restoration of the interior lining with environmentally-friendly photocatalytic paint to combat smog and the addition of new lighting and ventilation systems. A team of experts is currently trying to ascertain the cause of the leak.

Rome's bus company ATAC has diverted the routes of three bus services: bus 71 arriving from S. Silvestro will take Via del Tritone, Via Barberini, Largo di S. Susanna, Piazza della Repubblica and Via Nazionale, resuming its normal route from Via Depretis. The 71 coming from Tiburtina station takes Via Milano, Via Nazionale, Via IV Novembre, Piazza Venezia, Via del Corso and Piazza S. Silvestro. This route also applies to the 117 when coming from Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano. The 116, coming from Largo dei Fiorentini, continues along Via del Tritone, Piazza Barberini and Via Veneto before resuming the usual route.

For more details see www.atac.roma.it