Italy has officially greenlit the construction of the world’s longest suspension bridge, a colossal project aiming to connect the mainland with Sicily, marking the furthest point yet for a concept dreamt up by the Romans centuries ago and discussed for over fifty years. This ambitious endeavor, costing an estimated 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion), has been lauded by Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini as “the biggest infrastructure project in the West,” with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calling it “an engineering symbol of global significance,” and preliminary work is slated to begin between late September and early October, targeting completion between 2032 and 2033.
This Wednesday announcement signals a profound shift, transforming what was once a mere aspiration into a concrete plan for development. The Meloni administration has vigorously championed the project, presenting it as a transformative undertaking for Italy’s infrastructure and regional development. Despite the government’s enthusiastic endorsement, the project is not without substantial opposition, drawing scrutiny from environmentalists and fiscal watchdogs to civil society groups.
The proposed Strait of Messina Bridge is set to be an engineering marvel, stretching an approximate total length of 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles). Its suspended span alone will measure an impressive 3.3 kilometers (more than 2 miles). This design will enable it to surpass Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge, currently the world’s longest, by a significant margin of 1,277 meters (4,189 feet), establishing a new global benchmark for single-span suspension bridges.
Functionality is at the core of the bridge’s design, incorporating three vehicular lanes in each direction, meticulously flanked by a double-track railway. This robust configuration is designed to handle an impressive capacity of 6,000 cars per hour and facilitate 200 train crossings daily. The promised reduction in travel time across the strait is substantial, transforming a journey that currently takes up to 100 minutes by ferry into a mere 10-minute car ride.
Beyond just connecting landmasses, this bridge will integrate a railway system, promising to slash train journey times by approximately two and a half hours, significantly boosting both commuter convenience and commercial transport efficiency, which proponents highlight as key to national unity and economic growth.
The aspiration for a physical link between Sicily and mainland Italy traces back to ancient times, with records of raft crossings existing as early as 252 BC, and after Italy’s unification in the 19th century, the idea gained political momentum as part of efforts to better integrate the country’s southern regions, leading the Italian government to formally begin exploring bridge options across the Strait of Messina in 1969, igniting a multi-decade discussion.
Throughout successive administrations, proposals for the bridge were entertained but actual execution remained elusive. The project has been proposed, modified, canceled, and revived multiple times, reflecting its contentious nature and the complex political landscape of Italy. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed the first major contract for the structure in 2005, a deal valued at €3.9 billion, but the project stalled with the change in government.
A subsequent push during Berlusconi’s return to power also failed, leading to the plan being shelved again in 2011 amidst Italy’s severe financial turmoil during the eurozone debt crisis. After decades of such delays, the current administration, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, brought the project back into focus in 2023. Now, in 2025, with the approval granted by Italy’s Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS), the bridge project has reached its most advanced stage yet.
Prime Minister Meloni acknowledged the inherent challenges of the project, stating, “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.” This commitment underscores the government’s determination to see the long-envisioned infrastructure project come to fruition. The approval by CIPESS represents a critical milestone, setting the stage for the commencement of preliminary works.
The construction of the bridge has been awarded to the Eurolink consortium, which secured the contract through an international bidding process. This group is prominently led by Webuild, Italy’s largest construction firm, known for its extensive experience in large-scale infrastructure projects. Webuild is currently involved in the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating its capacity for ambitious undertakings.
The consortium assembled for this monumental task includes seasoned international players like the Spanish company Sacyr, known for its work on the Panama Canal expansion, and the Japanese engineering group IHI, which has a portfolio including impressive structures like Japan’s Akashi Kaikyō Bridge and Turkey’s Osman Gazi Bridge, bringing a wealth of experience to manage this unprecedentedly large and complex undertaking.
Webuild has articulated that the design for the Messina Bridge incorporates advanced engineering solutions specifically tailored for complex environments. The bridge’s aerodynamic profile, for instance, will resemble the fuselage of a fighter aircraft, featuring wind-permeable deck openings. This innovative design is intended to ensure structural stability, particularly during severe storms or seismic events, a critical consideration given the region’s geological characteristics.
Addressing historical concerns about building over the Messina fault, which triggered a deadly earthquake in 1908, Webuild has emphasized that suspension bridges are structurally less vulnerable to seismic forces. The firm points to successful examples of similar bridges constructed in seismically active areas, including Japan, Turkey, and California, as evidence of their resilience. This technical assurance aims to alleviate long-standing fears regarding the bridge’s safety in an earthquake-prone zone.
For decades, the Mezzogiorno, comprising the southern portion of Italy including Sicily, has lagged behind the more industrialized north in terms of development, employment, and investment. The Meloni government contends that a direct road and rail link will help bridge this persistent gap, attracting investment and reducing transportation costs. The bridge is seen as a crucial step towards better integrating the region into the national economy.
Currently, vehicles and trains rely on ferry services to traverse the strait, a process that significantly extends travel times. Trains, in particular, undergo a laborious procedure of being loaded onto ferry vessels, which can add two hours or more to a journey. For cars and trucks, peak times exacerbate these delays, contributing to inefficient logistics and commuting, which the bridge aims to drastically improve.
Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has passionately championed the project, calling it “an absolutely fascinating engineering project” that “will be transformative for the whole country,” with the government allocating €13.5 billion over the next decade for the bridge and related infrastructure, and Webuild anticipates that the construction phase alone will generate over 100,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly.
A particularly debated aspect of the project is its potential classification as NATO-aligned defense infrastructure, especially as Italy commits to boosting its defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, with a specific 1.5 percent earmarked for strategic assets, and a report from April noted the bridge’s “fundamental infrastructure with respect to military mobility,” particularly given its proximity to NATO installations.
The report further underscored the Mediterranean’s increasingly significant geopolitical role, and at the NATO summit in June, Prime Minister Meloni pointed to escalating Russian activities in the region as a reason to proceed with the bridge, stating, “We see Russia increasingly projecting itself into the Mediterranean… There are many hybrid threats, many hostile actors operating on the southern flank of the [NATO] alliance,” a sentiment echoed by Minister Salvini, who acknowledged its “dual-use” potential for security, though he noted the final designation awaits governmental assessment.
Concerns about organized crime infiltrating the project have also surfaced, given Southern Italy’s long history with mafia networks, particularly in public procurement. In response to these fears, Prime Minister Meloni mandated that the bridge project remain under the jurisdiction of national anti-mafia laws, rejecting early proposals to assign oversight solely to the Interior Ministry, which critics worried would weaken controls.
Minister Salvini pledged strict enforcement of anti-mafia measures, indicating that the government would adopt procedures similar to those used for the Milan Expo 2015 and the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. He stressed the importance of ensuring that “the entire supply chain is impermeable to bad actors.” Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party (PD) called the project “controversial and divisive,” voicing concern that it would divert “crucial resources from local transportation, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality healthcare facilities.” Grassroots Calabrian committee “No to the Bridge” also slammed the announcement, calling it a political maneuver rather than the outcome of thorough technical evaluation.
Further adding to local grievances, citizen groups noted that the bridge’s construction would require millions of liters of water daily, while both Sicily and Calabria frequently struggle with drought conditions. This potential strain on water resources in already arid regions presents another significant environmental and social challenge.
While preliminary steps like archaeological and geological surveys have now been given the go-ahead, the actual construction hinges on final approval from the Italian Court of Auditors, a process that a source close to the matter suggests could take several weeks, though Minister Salvini remains hopeful that land acquisition and construction will commence this September or October, finally bringing this long-debated project to life.
The approval marks a pivotal moment, yet the journey ahead for the Strait of Messina Bridge remains complex and fraught with challenges. It stands as a testament to Italy’s grand ambitions, striving to connect its varied landscapes and economies with a structure of global renown. However, its path will continue to be shaped by a delicate balance between engineering triumph, economic aspiration, and the persistent, deep-seated societal, environmental, and security concerns that have defined its history. Italy now steps into a new phase of this monumental endeavor, with the world watching to see if this engineering marvel can overcome its formidable critics and the weight of its own complex legacy.
