The plan has been around for decades: a bridge over the Strait of Messina. It is supposed to connect Italy with Sicily. The ancient Romans already dreamed of it – now the dream is to be implemented.
Rome – Italy is starting a new attempt for a controversial construction project: the bridge over the Strait of Messina (Italian: Ponte sullo Stretto di Messina). A giant bridge is to span 3.3 kilometers across the strait at the toe of Italy’s boot with the island of Sicily. The mega-project was supposed to be finished in 2012. To date, the bridge has not been built.
Italy wants to build bridge over the Strait of Messina
Italy’s government around the new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is now making a new attempt. The suspension bridge between Sicily and the Italian mainland is to be built. The project could create 100,000 jobs and tie Sicily more closely to the mainland, argued the new transport minister and leader of the right-wing ruling party, Matteo Salvini, according to media reports. “The start of construction work on the bridge across the Straits of Messina is one of my priority objectives as Minister,” Salvini said in October.
Criticism of the bridge from Sicily to mainland Italy
The cost of the suspension bridge is 8.5 billion euros, reports the Italian news channel Rai. The state had already spent more than 200 million euros on planning between 2001 and 2006.
The project has been criticized for years. The project has been described as “megalomania” and “giantism”. The bridge over the Strait of Messina is opposed by the Greens and the Left Party. They point to security concerns. The area is an earthquake zone. In addition, the money could be used more sensibly. The billions should rather flow into improving the transport infrastructure in Sicily. In 1908, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, killing more than 100,000 people. According to experts, it is only a matter of time before another strong earthquake shakes the region. Because, directly below the Strait of Messina, the African and Eurasian plates meet.
Italy: Bridge dream 2012 stopped
In 2012, then Prime Minister Mario Monti stopped the bridge dream. He announced that he wanted to do without the bridge for cost reasons. At that time, the bridge already set a world record, teasing Italian media. It was said to be one of the most expensive structures, and construction never started. Now the mega project is back on the agenda. A bold plan. Four lanes, two emergency lanes, two railway tracks and two pedestrian walkways were originally planned. The suspension bridge should be 65 meters above sea level at its highest point, so that large container ships can also pass under the bridge.
Bridge over the Strait of Messina: Even the ancient Romans dreamed of it
The bridge over the Strait of Messina (ital. Stretto di Messina) is an ancient dream. The strait has fired the imagination for thousands of years. The Greek mathematician Archimedes is said to have thought about a bridge. The Roman consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus captured in 251 BC. BC Elephants in a victory against the Carthaginians in Sicily. Lucius thought of lining up countless boats to take the 140 war elephants to Rome. However, the ship’s bridge failed due to the strong current.
In 1840, Bourbon King Ferdinand II of Naples and Sicily dreamed of a bridge across the strait. The idea was rejected at the time due to high costs. It would be a sensation if Italy realized the suspension bridge with a span of 3300 meters. The bridge would be the culmination of the Naples-Palermo rail link, the modernization of which the government is helping to finance. (ml)
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