New plans to launch Italy’s Messina bridge project, which would see Sicily being connected to mainland Italy, are steaming ahead.
Drafted plans for the Messina bridge would see it snatch a world record from another European infrastructure.
If built, the bridge would turn the Ancient Roman’s dream of linking Sicily to Italy into a reality and revolutionise travel in the area for both its residents and visitors.
The Messina bridge project, which has been decades in the making, would stretch 2.2 miles (3.6 km) – longer than Turkey’s Çanakkale Bridge, making it the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge.
But not all are pleased with the possible construction of this colossal structure as Italian environmental activists continue to protest against it.
The Messina bridge’s total cost is estimated to cost a staggering £12billion (€13.5 billion).
The European Union has agreed to fund 50% of the executive design costs when it comes to the bridge’s rail infrastructure, totalling £20 million.
The bridge would span across the Messina Strait and has previously come close to construction a number of times, including in 2005 and 2011 under Silvio Berlusconi’s governments.
But this never came about due the country’s political instability and economic crisis alongside protests from, among others, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Fast forward to today and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks to revive this immense project.
The construction of the Messina bridge is not only backed by the Prime Minister, with Italy’s infrastructure minister and right-wing Lega party leader Matteo Salvini also drumming up plans for this bridge.
Salvini said: “The bridge will bring work, wealth, beauty, and will save tons of CO2 in the air, making it one of the greenest bridges in the world.”
Despite the Messina bridge potentially placing Italy on the global map for engineering marvels, the bridge’s construction has proved to be a thorn in the side of environmental activists.
This is because the Messina bridge, if constructed, would run through a natural reserve, with the site of construction leading to seizures of private land.
An activist for the WWF in Sicily, Anna Giordano, previously told Euronews: “I’m tired of the bridge. I spent so many years fighting against it.”
