Italy’s iconic bridge project takes shape as construction nears

Italy is poised to embark on an ambitious infrastructure project: the construction of the Strait of Messina bridge, which aims to connect Sicily with the mainland.

Construction of the bridge is set to commence by the end of this year, with officials projecting it will be operational by the early 2030s. Italy has long considered the possibility of constructing a bridge linking the island of Sicily to the mainland. This ambitious engineering endeavor has been in preliminary discussions for decades, but plans were put on hold in 2013, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In 2022, Italy's newly elected right-wing government expressed its intention to revive the project, which is slated to become the world's longest suspension bridge. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated that she would seek EU assistance to fund the multi-billion euro initiative. Recently, the bridge's construction firm, Società Stretto di Messina, signed a new funding proposal with the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Commission (CINEA).

The Grant Agreement will enable the EU to cover 50 per cent of the executive design costs for the rail infrastructure, totaling around 25 million euros. As for traveling between Sicily and mainland Italy, options currently include flights, ferries, or trains that are transported on ferries. 

The concept of a bridge connecting the two land masses has been debated since Roman times, with some historians claiming that the ancient Romans actually constructed a bridge using barrels and boats. Dictator Benito Mussolini reignited the vision of connecting Sicily to the mainland, but it wasn't until Silvio Berlusconi's government in the early 2000s that the project secured funding from Brussels. In 2009, a contract for the construction was awarded to the Messina Strait Company, with plans for a rail and road link between the Sicilian city of Messina and Calabria on the mainland.

However, the initiative was abandoned in 2013 when former Prime Minister Mario Monti shut down the construction company as part of austerity measures. The proposal for a suspension bridge between Sicily and the mainland has not received unanimous support. Proponents argue that the connection would revitalize the island’s struggling economy and help bridge the divide between Italy's affluent north and its less prosperous south. 

By Naila Huseynova