Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Matteo Salvini, announced the construction of a bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland. File Photo by Massimo Percossi/EPA-EFE
The Italian government announced Wednesday it has approved the construction of a bridge between its mainland and the island Sicily.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Matteo Salvini posted to X Wednesday that bridge construction over the Strait of Messina, the body of water that lies between the two land masses, has been approved.
“Together, we write history with a work that will benefit Italy from South to North,” Salvini wrote.
Salvini also posted a video that offered details regarding the crossing, a suspended single-span bridge about 2.28 miles in length that would be the longest of its kind in the world. It will also feature six lanes across for motor vehicles and be able to support a railway.
The bridge will connect between the towns of Villa San Giovanni in Calabria and Messina in Sicily, at an expected cost of about $15.6 billion.
The Italian General Confederation of Labor, or CGIL, the largest labor union in Italy, sent a letter to Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for the Environment of the European Commission alleging there are “serious technical, environmental, regulatory, and social issues associated” with the intended bridge, and stated it couldn’t “constitute a legally admissible basis for authorizing the project.”
There have also been concerns about the proposed location, as it’s in an earthquake zone, while others fear local organized crime groups could get involved with the construction of the project to score profits.
The first phase of the project is slated to begin in May 2026, with road and rail connections, and actual bridge work is expected to start in March of 2027. Completion of the bridge is expected in 2032.
