Discovery of paved road beneath Rome's incinerator construction site leads to temporary suspension of works, just weeks after project got underway.Work at the Santa Palomba construction site on the southern outskirts of Rome has been halted following the discovery of a section of Roman road during excavation works for the city's new waste-to-energy plant.The strada basolata, or paved road, was found on Wednesday according to the city which confirmed that works at the site have been suspended pending the required archaeological assessment. Under Italian law, any significant discovery of archaeological remains during construction obliges the contractor to halt work and notify the relevant authorities, including the culture ministry's archaeological superintendency, which must then evaluate the find before works can resume. Discovery The discovery was made within the construction area for a waste-to-energy plant, known in Italian as a termovalorizzatore, whose groundbreaking ceremony was held just weeks ago. The facility, which represents an investment of around €1 billion, is designed to process 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable residual waste per year and is located near Pomezia along the Via Ardeatina. Under the current schedule, the plant is due to receive its first waste deliveries in November 2029. What happens next? The temporary halt does not necessarily imply a permanent impediment to the project: Italian construction practice provides for a standard procedure of documentation, assessment and possible relocation or preservation of the finds, after which work may resume subject to authorisation. In a statement issued on Friday, the city said: "The superintendency conducted an inspection yesterday, and pending the relevant decisions and any regulations at that point of the construction site - a very limited and peripheral area - work has been temporarily suspended." No date has been given for when the suspension might be lifted. Photo: Rendering of new incinerator at Santa Palomba

Work at the Santa Palomba construction site on the southern outskirts of Rome has been halted following the discovery of a section of Roman road during excavation works for the city's . The strada basolata, or paved road, was found on Wednesday according to the city which confirmed that works at the site have been suspended pending the required archaeological assessment. Under Italian law, any significant discovery of archaeological remains during construction obliges the contractor to halt work and notify the relevant authorities, including the culture ministry's archaeological superintendency, which must then evaluate the find before works can resume. The discovery was made within the construction area for a waste-to-energy plant, known in Italian as a termovalorizzatore, whose  was held just weeks ago. The facility, which represents an investment of around €1 billion, is designed to process 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable residual waste per year and is located near Pomezia along the Via Ardeatina. Under the current schedule, the plant is due to receive its first waste deliveries in November 2029. The temporary halt does not necessarily imply a permanent impediment to the project: Italian construction practice provides for a standard procedure of documentation, assessment and possible relocation or preservation of the finds, after which work may resume subject to authorisation. In  issued on Friday, the city said: "The superintendency conducted an inspection yesterday, and pending the relevant decisions and any regulations at that point of the construction site - a very limited and peripheral area - work has been temporarily suspended." No date has been given for when the suspension might be lifted. Photo: Rendering of new incinerator at Santa Palomba