The committee of the Italian government has given the green light to a bridge that will connect the mainland with the island of Sicily

Rome - The Italian government has given the green light for the construction of a bridge that will connect the Italian mainland with the island of Sicily. Preparatory work could begin as early as the end of summer, and actual construction is expected to start next year, AP reported today. The bridge over the Strait of Messina is set to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The Italian Ministry of Transport announced today that the bridge's construction was approved by an interdepartmental committee overseeing strategic public investments. According to Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini, this project, valued at 13.5 billion euros (about 337 billion CZK), will also contribute to the faster development of the regions in southern Italy.

The idea of a bridge connecting Sicily with the southern region of Calabria has been considered since the time of the ancient Romans. In modern history, the first competition for this construction was announced by the Italian government in 1969, with subsequent governments alternatively abandoning or returning to the project. The current cabinet of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a decree for the project's revival in March 2023, just a few months after taking office.

The plan to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina has faced criticism due to its cost and the risks associated with the area being in an active earthquake zone. Environmentalists have also protested, arguing that the project will damage the landscape and ecosystem. According to AP, environmental protection advocates have also filed a complaint regarding the potential impact on migratory birds.

The bridge over the Strait of Messina is expected to be nearly 3.7 kilometers long, with a central span measuring 3.3 kilometers, thus surpassing the record for the span of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge across the Dardanelles Strait in Turkey, which is 2.02 km.

The bridge is designed to include a road with three lanes (including an emergency lane) and a railway track in each direction. The capacity is expected to be up to 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains daily.

The construction of the bridge could also help Italy meet its NATO commitment to spend five percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, as the Italian government intends to classify the project as defense-related infrastructure. According to it, it would be a strategic corridor for the rapid movement of troops and equipment on NATO's southern flank.

Selected information about the planned bridge over the Strait of Messina:

• The construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina has been planned for decades. The current project, which was definitively approved today by the Italian government, valued at 13.5 billion euros (about 337 billion CZK), aims to build the longest suspension bridge in the world, connecting Sicily with mainland Italy. With a central span of 3,300 meters and a width of 60 meters, the new bridge should surpass most existing records in this area.
• The pylons from which the bridge will be suspended are expected to be 399 meters tall. The project anticipates that a three-lane roadway will be constructed in both directions, with two pairs of railway tracks in the middle. The new bridge, with a total length of 3,666 meters, is intended to connect the city of Messina in Sicily with the town of Villa San Giovanni in Italian Calabria.
• The bridge, which is scheduled for completion in 2032, will, according to the Italian government, be an engineering marvel that will withstand strong winds and earthquakes in an area located at the intersection of two tectonic plates: "It will be the longest suspension bridge in the world," said Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini today, who claims the project will create tens of thousands of jobs in the two poor Italian regions, Sicily and Calabria.
• However, the project also triggers protests, partly due to its environmental impact. Opponents claim its cost is too high and that the money could be better utilized elsewhere. Initial plans for the construction of this bridge were drawn up more than half a century ago.
• Even dictator Benito Mussolini dreamed of a bridge over the Strait of Messina. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came a step closer to its construction; in the 1990s, the first detailed plan for the construction of a suspension bridge was presented. Its construction was supposed to take six years, and its commissioning was originally planned for 2012, but another Italian government under Romano Prodi abandoned the project in 2006.
• In 2008, another Berlusconi government promised that the bridge would be built, and in 2009 it was announced that financing was secured. In December 2010, a graphic design of the project was presented to the public, but in February 2013, the Italian Parliament decided to cancel the project due to a lack of funds. The current government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a decree to revive the bridge project over the Strait of Messina in March 2023.
• The Italian government commissioned an environmental study last year to examine the impact on the local natural environment. The project was subsequently approved by the Ministry of the Environment, and after today's final approval, the construction of the bridge should begin this year and last six years.
• The dream of a bridge over the Strait of Messina is over 2,000 years old, wrote the British newspaper The Guardian in 2022. The philosopher Pliny the Elder noted that in 251 BC, the Romans brought elephants from Sicily to Rome that they had captured during the First Punic War. According to Pliny, the animals crossed the sea using a bridge made from ships and barrels.
• The world's longest suspension bridge to date was opened in Turkey in March 2022. The Çanakkale Bridge over the Dardanelles Strait has a span between its pillars of 2023 meters. This bridge surpassed the previously longest Japanese bridge, the Akashi Kaikyō, which was opened on April 5, 1998, and has a main span of 1991 meters.