From The New York Times:
Roman drivers finally got some relief on Monday when, after 450 days of traffic chaos and unprintable curses, a ribbon-cutting ceremony heralded the opening of an underpass along the Tiber River near the Vatican that immediately cleared traffic from what is now Rome’s largest pedestrian area.
The new underpass is part of the makeover Rome is undergoing as it readies for the 32 million visitors the Vatican expects in 2025 for the Roman Catholic Church Jubilee — a year of faith, penance and forgiveness of sins that takes place every quarter century. Romans have conflicting feelings about the Jubilee, which began on Tuesday evening when Pope Francis solemnly opened the Holy Door in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica and passed through, followed by the first of the pilgrims.