Italy has long toyed with the idea of building a bridge between the island of Sicily and the mainland. The hugely ambitious engineering project was in the preliminary stages for decades before being scrapped in 2013. Now Italy’s far-right new government has said it wants to relaunch the plans.
A project put off indefinitely for years
However, as early as Roman times, the idea of a bridge to connect the two banks was debated. In fact, according to some historians, the ancient Romans built one made of barrels and boats. Today, critics consider the project risky due to the risk of earthquakes.
A decree provides for urgent measures for a connection between Sicily and Calabria
After many years of back and forth, the Italian government plans to build a bridge that will connect mainland Italy to the island of Sicily. The Prime Minister’s Office has adopted a corresponding decree in recent days, which provides for “urgent measures for the construction of a stable connection between Sicily and Calabria”.
Showcasing Italian Engineering
We will have to forget the collapse of the Genoa bridge that took place in August 2018. The Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini, spoke of a “historic day not only for Calabria and Sicily, but for all of Italy “. “They won’t stop us this time,” he said in a statement, recalling his government’s plans many years ago.
Critics call it a ‘waste of resources’
According to the Ansa news agency, critics accuse the government of “wasting resources”. Environmentalists reject the plans because of “extremely high ecological and financial costs”. Several Italian governments have already discussed a project to bridge the Strait of Messina (the strait between the southern Italian region of Calabria and Sicily). Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had campaigned for it in the early 2000s. Of course, critics considered the construction superfluous and risky due to the risk of earthquakes in the region.
One of the longest cable-supported bridges in the world
At around 3.2 kilometers long, the bridge is said to be one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, according to Mateo Salvini. So far, Sicily is only accessible from the mainland by plane or ferry.
Parliament now has two months to turn the decree into law. According to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, construction could begin as early as 2024.
