Italy Advances Messina Bridge Project, Targeting 2025 Construction Start for World’s Longest Suspension Span
Italy Advances Messina Bridge Project, Targeting 2025 Construction Start for World’s Longest Suspension Span
Italy is pushing ahead with the ambitious Strait of Messina Bridge, an infrastructure project poised to become the world’s longest suspension bridge. Following a crucial approval by an interministerial committee, the 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion) endeavor is moving towards an anticipated construction start in 2025, with preliminary work expected to commence between late September and early October 2024, pending final court of audit approval.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini hailed the project as “the biggest infrastructure project in the West,” emphasizing its potential to create 120,000 jobs annually and accelerate economic growth in southern Italy. Premier Giorgia Meloni described the bridge as an “engineering symbol of global significance.” Spanning nearly 3.7 kilometers (2.2 miles), with a suspended section of 3.3 kilometers (over 2 miles), the bridge is designed to carry 6,000 cars per hour and 200 trains daily, drastically cutting travel time across the strait.
The long-delayed project, which has faced historical debates over its scale, seismic risks, environmental impact, and potential for mafia interference, has been revived by Meloni’s administration. Controversially, the government is exploring classifying the bridge as a dual-use asset, potentially counting it towards Italy’s NATO defense spending targets due to its strategic importance for troop and equipment movements. This classification, however, has drawn opposition from over 600 academics and researchers concerned about additional assessments and the bridge becoming a potential target.
Environmental groups have also lodged complaints with the EU, citing concerns about migratory bird populations and the project’s overall ecological footprint. Italian authorities, including Salvini, have pledged strict anti-mafia protocols, mirroring those used for major events like Expo 2015 and the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The project has been awarded to a consortium led by Italian infrastructure group Webuild, which previously won the bid in 2006 before the project was canceled. Webuild has also addressed seismic concerns, highlighting the resilience of suspension bridges in earthquake-prone regions.
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