Updated at 10:04 AM EDT, August 11, 2025
The plans to build what would be the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a main period of 3,300 meters in length. The Italy Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development On August 6, it approved the final design and full public funding for the Messina Bridge Strait, a $ 15.7 million project that Sicily and Calabria linked.
The Vice President of Transport, Matteo Salvini, said that the vote “plays the project irreversibly”, a phrase he used for the first time during a technical session in February 2023, according to the Stretweb news site.
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Italy revives the plan for the world’s longest suspension bridge
The CIPESS Resolution, which will be published in the Gazzetta Uickficiale in the coming weeks, the annual actions were directed through 2034 and reactivate a design design contract, now designed at $ 12.3 billion that were preserved by the Eurolink Consortium, led by a Milan -based contractor. —In start once the Italian Court of Auditors ends its legal review, a step that usually “a few weeks ago”, said Salvini to journalists.
Design and scope
Suspension engineering is run by a Danish consultant Cowi A/sretained from previous design phases and known for his work at the Great Belt of Denmark and Turkey of 1915 Çanakkale.
“ The decision of the Italian government to advance is a very exciting step, and, together with our partner, Eurolink (Consortium Webuild Leed) and major international experts, we are ready at the starting line, preparing to contribute to our experience as soon as the final approvals are underway, ” said Jens Højgaard Christoffersen, COE, COE, Coe, said in a statement.
The project documents presented to the Stretto di Messina dealership describe a crossroads of 3,666 meters that has a main duration of 3,300 m of 3,300 m that Eclipsia the Akasiikyo bridge of 1,991 meters of Turkey and the Akashiiiii-Kaikyo bridge of 1,991 meters of Turkey. Four 1,26-M-Dia cables, each formed by 44,323 high-strength steel cables, will support a 60-m wide steel cover designed to transport six freeway lanes, two railways and service walkways, giving the structure a capacity of 6,000 vehicles a day and 200 trains a day.
The output of Italian media Sky TG24 reports that the wind tunnel tunnel tests in Milan Polytechnic and other laboratories found that stable aerodynamic cover in gusts of up to 292 km/h, while seismic design parameters exceed the minimum Italian code for the Calabia Failure area. The shipping authorization for shipping is 72 m on a 600 m channel.
About 40% of the global budget covers the bridge itself; The balance finances more than 40 km of road and railway approaches, three underground stations in Messina and a logistics center on Riba Calabriana.
Webuild is aimed at the beginning of 2026 for construction, with an opening projected by 2032. Before the superstructure work begins, The project must satisfy 62 conditions attached to the Environmental Impact Decree issued by the Via/Vas Commission of Italy in November 2024. These prescriptions range from expanded habitat restoration to the fatigue tests of the main cables.
On August 4, a coalition of Greenpeace, the Environmental Association of Italy, the Lipu Bird Protection Charity and the World Wildlife Fund filed a new complaint to the European Union, claiming that various requirements remained without complying, Legambiente said in a statement.
Anti-corruption officials are also ending an updated “legalian protocolo” to protect themselves from the infiltration of the Mafia, a prerequisite for the authorization of the Court of Auditors, according to the National Agency for Anic Corruption. CIPESS has directed the Ministry of Transport to issue quarterly cost monitoring reports once the construction begins.
Webuild provides for an average labor of 4,300, which is achieved at 7,000 and estimates that the project will support more than 100,000 jobs in the Italian supply chain. Supporters argue that the bridge will connect Sicily to the High Speed Railway Network in Europe, creating a continuous Berlin-Palemo runner within the European Union Trans-European Transport Network. Critics say that the risk of earthquakes, sensitive marine habitats and possible costs still represent significant challenges.
