Latest news with #StraitofMessina
Al Jazeera
07-08-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Italy greenlights plan to build world's longest suspension bridge
Italy has given final approval to a long-delayed plan to construct the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the mainland to Sicily in a project worth €13.5bn ($15.5bn). Transport Minister Matteo Salvini hailed the Strait of Messina Bridge as 'the biggest infrastructure project in the West' after a key government committee cleared the path on Wednesday. He said the project would generate 120,000 jobs annually and revitalise southern Italy through wider investment in infrastructure. Preliminary work could begin as early as October, pending a green light from Italy's court of audit, with construction expected to start in 2026. Salvini estimated the bridge could be completed by 2033. With a span of 3.3km, the bridge would surpass Turkey's Canakkale Bridge and carry six lanes of traffic and two railway lines, cutting the current 100-minute ferry crossing to just 10 minutes by car. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the bridge would become 'an engineering symbol of global significance'. The project, first proposed in 1969, has stalled repeatedly due to environmental objections, mafia fears and seismic risks. The design is inspired by Turkiye's Canakkale structure, featuring a wing-shaped deck meant to improve stability in high winds. Defence or development? Rome says the bridge could help it meet NATO's defence spending goals by classifying it as 'dual-use' infrastructure, a designation that has caused controversy. More than 600 academics warned that such a move would require further military safety assessments and could make the bridge a potential target. Salvini said it was up to the defence and economy ministries to decide, but insisted 'keeping organised crime out of the project is the top priority'. Environmental groups, meanwhile, have raised complaints with the European Union, warning of potential disruption to migratory birds and a lack of proof that the project meets public interest thresholds. The bridge contract was awarded to Webuild, the same firm that won the initial bid in 2006 before the plan was cancelled. The company says its design will withstand earthquakes, pointing to similar bridges in Japan and California. 'The bridge will be transformative for the whole country,' said Webuild CEO Pietro Salini.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Italy greenlights project to build world's longest suspension bridge from mainland to Sicily
Italy has cleared the way to build the world's largest suspension bridge, which would link the mainland with Sicily. The 13.5 billion euro ($24.2 billion) infrastructure project has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact, and the spectre of mafia interference. The Strait of Messina Bridge will be "the biggest infrastructure project in the West," Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome. Premier Giorgia Meloni said the bridge "will be an engineering symbol of global significance". Mr Salvini cited studies showing the project will create 120,000 jobs a year, and accelerate growth in economically lagging southern Italy, as billions more in investments are made in roads and other infrastructure projects accompanying the bridge. Preliminary work could begin between late September and early October, once Italy's court of audit signs off, with construction expected to start next year. Despite bureaucratic delays, the bridge is expected to be completed between 2032 and 2033, Mr Salvini said. The Strait of Messina Bridge has been approved and cancelled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals in 1969. The Meloni administration revived the project in 2023, and this marks the furthest stage the ambitious project — first envisioned by the Romans — has ever reached. "From a technical standpoint, it's an absolutely fascinating engineering project,'' Mr Salvini said. The bridge would measure nearly 3.7 kilometres, with the suspended span reaching 3.3 kilometres. That would surpass Türkiye's Çanakkale Bridge, currently the longest, by 1,277 metres. The Çanakkale Bridge was built in 2022, using an engineering design similar to the one devised for the Messina bridge. The design includes a wing profile and a deck shape that resembles a fighter jet fuselage with openings to allow wind to pass through the structure, according to Webuild, the industrial group awarded the project. With three car lanes in each direction flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6,000 cars an hour and 200 trains a day — reducing the time to cross the strait by ferry from up to 100 minutes to 10 minutes by car. The project could provide a boost to Italy's commitment to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, as targeted by NATO. The government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related, helping it to meet a 1.5 per cent security component. Italy argues the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment to NATO's southern flanks, qualifying it as a "security-enhancing infrastructure". Mr Salvini confirmed the intention to classify the project as dual use but said it was up to Italy's defence and economic ministers. The military classification has been criticised by a group of more than 600 professors and researchers. They signed a letter noting that such a move would require additional assessments to see if it could withstand military use. Opponents also say the designation would potentially make the bridge a target. The decree that reactivated the bridge project included language giving Italy's Ministry of the Interior control over anti-mafia measures. But the country's president insisted the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy, out of concerns the ad hoc arrangement could weaken controls. Mr Salvini pledged that keeping organised crime out of the project was a top priority, saying it would adhere to the same protocols used for the Expo 2015 World's Fair and the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. "We need to pay attention so that the entire supply chain is impermeable to bad actors,'' he said. Addressing concerns about building the bridge over the Messina fault, which triggered a deadly earthquake in 1908, Webuild has emphasised that suspension bridges are structurally less vulnerable to seismic forces. It noted that such bridges have been built in seismically active areas, including Japan, Türkiye and California. Environmental groups have lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns the project will impact migratory birds, noting environmental studies had not demonstrated the project is a public imperative, and any environmental damage would be offset. AP
Times
06-08-2025
- Business
- Times
Sicily split on world's longest suspension bridge to Italian mainland
Italy is to build the world's longest suspension bridge between the mainland and Sicily, shrugging off fears about the area's history of earthquakes and mafia-run construction firms. With a single suspended span of about 3.3km, the Strait of Messina Bridge will exceed the span of Turkey's Canakkale bridge — the record holder — by more than a kilometre, held up by steel cables more than a metre in diameter. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, said: 'It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy's present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense.' Priced at €13.5 billion and due for completion in 2032, the bridge will be a 'demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise that is matched by few around the world', Meloni added. Six road traffic lanes and two railway lines will fill the 60m-wide bridge, which will be supported by two 399m-high towers, according to the Italian constructor WeBuild. A bridge over the strait has been an ambition of rulers since Charlemagne. The Italian government has made plans for one since the 1960s and they were championed by prime ministers including Silvio Berlusconi, only to be shelved due to costs and environmental concerns. The approval this week is a boost for Matteo Salvini, the transport minister, deputy prime minister and firebrand, whose career has been overshadowed by Meloni since he joined her coalition in 2022. Opponents of the bridge vowed to continue their legal battle to stop it, citing threats to birds migrating between Europe and Africa and the risk of earthquakes. The Sicilian town of Messina was levelled by a 7.1 magnitude quake in 1908. It was the deadliest earthquake in modern European history, claiming up to 80,000 victims. WeBuild said that suspension bridges 'are the most seismic-reliable structures, since they have a low sensitivity to earthquakes', claiming that was why they are favoured in earthquake hotspots such as California and Japan. Salvini played down allegations that local mafia clans were determined to seize construction deals connected to the bridge. He said: 'If we didn't build a bridge because, as some people say, there is the mafia in Sicily, there is the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, we wouldn't get anything done.' The bridge and the road and rail links to it would generate 120,000 jobs and boost the struggling economy of southern Italy, he added. Left-wing opposition politicians have claimed the cash could be better spent on schools and hospitals. 'This is a colossal waste of public money and a monument to uselessness and Salvini's propaganda,' Anthony Barbagallo, a Democratic Party MP, said. Salvini responded: 'In the Chinese or US media they will talk about the engineering work on the bridge, while here there are people who view the biggest public work in the West as a problem.' He quipped that the strait had only been crossed twice without a ferry — once by the Roman consul Lucius Metellus, who tied barrels together in 252BC to let more than 100 war elephants cross the waterway, and then by a 15th-century saint, Francis of Paola, who is said to have sailed across on his cloak. Today cars crossing the strait are loaded onto ferries for a journey that can take more than an hour, compared with the 15 minutes it will take to cross the bridge. Trains are split into sections that are run onto tracks on the ferries. Once ashore, they are reassembled before continuing their journey on Sicily, which can take up to three hours, Salvini said. The bridge would end decades of service for ferries, which have been worked hard. Such was the demand for crossings in the 1950s that one vessel scuttled at the end of the Second World War was raised from the seabed and put back into service. It plied the route for another four decades before being retired in 1991.
CTV News
06-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Italy OKs US$15.5 billion project to build world's longest suspension bridge from mainland to Sicily
MILAN — Italy cleared the way Wednesday to build the world's largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive 13.5 billion euro (US$15.5 billion) infrastructure project that has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the spectre of mafia interference. The Strait of Messina Bridge will be 'the biggest infrastructure project in the West,' Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome, after an interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments approved the project. Premier Giorgia Meloni said that the bridge 'will be an engineering symbol of global significance.' Salvini cited studies showing the project will create 120,000 jobs a year and accelerate growth in economically lagging southern Italy, as billions more in investments are made in roads and other infrastructure projects accompanying the bridge. Preliminary work could begin between late September and early October, once Italy's court of audit signs off, with construction expected to start next year. Despite bureaucratic delays, the bridge is expected to be completed between 2032-2033, Salvini said. Bridge could count toward NATO spending target The Strait of Messina Bridge has been approved and canceled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals in 1969. Premier Giorgia Meloni's administration revived the project in 2023, and this marks the furthest stage the ambitious project-- first envisioned by the Romans -- has ever reached. 'From a technical standpoint, it's an absolutely fascinating engineering project,' Salvini said. The Strait of Messina Bridge would measure nearly 3.7 kilometres (2.2 miles), with the suspended span reaching 3.3 kilometres (more than 2 miles), surpassing Turkiye's Canakkale Bridge, currently the longest, by 1,277 metres (4,189 feet). With three car lanes in each direction flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6,000 cars an hour and 200 trains a day -- reducing the time to cross the strait by ferry from up to 100 minutes to 10 minutes by car. Trains will save 2/12 hours in transit time, Salvini said. The project could provide a boost to Italy's commitment to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defense-related, helping it to meet a 1.5% security component. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment to NATO's southern flanks, qualifying it as a 'security-enhancing infrastructure.' Salvini confirmed the intention to classify the project as dual use, but said that was up to Italy's defense and economic ministers. A group of more than 600 professors and researchers signed a letter earlier this summer opposing the military classification, noting that such a move would require additional assessments to see if it could withstand military use. Opponents also say the designation would potentially make the bridge a target. Concerns over organized crime Environmental groups have lodged complaints with the EU, citing concerns that the project will impact migratory birds, noting that environmental studies had not demonstrated that the project is a public imperative and that any environmental damage would be offset. The original government decree reactivating the bridge project included language giving the Interior Ministry control over anti-mafia measures. But Italy's president insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy out of concerns that the ad-hoc arrangement would weaken controls. Salvini pledged that keeping organized crime out of the project was top priority, saying it would adhere to the same protocols used for the Expo 2015 World's Fair and the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. 'We need to pay attention so that the entire supply chain is impermeable to bad actors,' he said. The project has been awarded to a consortium led by Webuild, an Italian infrastructure group that initially won the bid to build the bridge in 2006 before it was later canceled. The Canakkale Bridge, which opened in 2022, was built using an engineering design similar to the one devised for the Messina bridge, including a wing profile and a deck shape that resembles a fighter jet fuselage with openings to allow wind to pass through the structure, according to Webuild. Addressing concerns about building the bridge over the Messina fault, which triggered a deadly quake in 1908, Webuild has emphasized that suspension bridges are structurally less vulnerable to seismic forces. It noted that such bridges have been built in seismically active areas, including Japan, Turkiye and California. Webuild CEO Pietro Salini said in a statement that the Strait of Messina Bridge 'will be transformative for the whole country.' Colleen Barry, The Associated Press
CBS News
06-08-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Italy OK's $15.5 billion construction of world's longest suspension bridge, from Sicily to mainland
A long-delayed and debated bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily cleared a major hurdle Wednesday, allowing work to begin on what would be the world's longest suspension bridge, despite concerns over earthquakes, environmental impacts and the threat of mafia interference. An interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments approved the 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion) project, the Transport Ministry said in a statement. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said the project will be "an accelerator for development" in southern Italy. Preliminary work could begin later this summer with construction expected to start next year and, French news agency AFP points out, projected completion in 2032. The Strait of Messina Bridge has been approved and canceled multiple times since the Italian government first solicited proposals in 1969 and was most recently revived by Premier Giorgia Meloni's administration in 2023. The notion of constructing a link between Sicily and the mainland dates back to ancient Rome. The decision marks a political victory for Salvini, who has made the realization of the bridge a hallmark of his tenure, saying it would be "a revolution" for southern Italy by bringing jobs and economic growth. The Strait of Messina Bridge would measure nearly 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles), with the suspended span reaching 3.3 kilometers (some two miles), surpassing Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, currently the longest, by 1,277 meters (4,189 feet). With four lanes of traffic flanked by a double-track railway, the bridge would have the capacity to carry 6,000 vehicles an hour and 200 trains a day. AFP notes that some critics believe the span will never be built, pointing to a long history of public works announced and financed but still never finished in Italy. The project could provide a boost to Italy's commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defense-related, helping it to meet a 1.5% security component. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment to NATO's southern flanks, qualifying it as a "security-enhancing infrastructure." A group of more than 600 professors and researchers signed a letter earlier this summer opposing the military classification, noting that such a move would require additional assessments to see if it could withstand military use. Opponents also say the designation would potentially make the bridge a target. Environmental groups have lodged additional complaints with the EU, citing concerns that the project will impact migratory birds, noting that environmental studies hadn't demonstrated that the project is a public imperative. The original government decree reactivating the bridge project included language giving the Interior Ministry control over anti-mafia measures. But Italy's president insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects in Italy out of concerns that the ad-hoc arrangement would weaken controls. The project has been awarded to a consortium led by WeBuild, an Italian infrastructure group that initially won the bid to build the bridge in 2006 before the project was canceled in 2013. WeBuild constructed the Canakkale Bridge, which is currently the longest suspension bridge at 2 kilometers and 23 meters (about a mile and a quarter). The Canakkale Bridge, which opened in 2022, was built using the engineering model originally devised for the Messina Bridge, with a wing profile and a deck shape that resembles a fighter jet fuselage with openings to enable wind to pass through the structure, according to WeBuild. Addressing concerns about building the bridge over the Messina fault, which triggered a deadly quake in 1908, WeBuild has emphasized that suspension bridges are structurally less vulnerable to seismic forces. It noted that such bridges have been built in seismically active areas, including Japan, Turkey and California. WeBuild CEO Pietro Salini told investors this month that the Messina Bridge "will be a game-changer for Italy."
