Mayor to ban traffic on major Rome thoroughfare

ROME, July 5 (UPI) -- The mayor of Rome said Friday he plans to ban private vehicles from a major road to help preserve a number of ancient buildings along the thoroughfare.

Under mayor Ignazio Marino's proposal, only pedestrians and cyclists would be allowed on the Via dei Fori Imperiali after July 31, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Pollution and vibration from heavy traffic has been blamed for damage to some of the city's most historic buildings along the street, including the Imperial Forums, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.

The road was built by former dictator Benito Mussolini between 1924 and 1932 to allow him to get to his office north of the Capitoline Hill.