Messina Strait Bridge Project Remains Mired in Delays and Disputes

For more than two millennia the idea of linking Sicily to mainland Italy has resurfaced, most recently as a €13.5 billion suspension-bridge scheme announced by infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini. The design calls for a 3.3 km central span—the longest of any suspension bridge worldwide—and a deck with six traffic lanes, two service lanes and two railway tracks. Initial promises to break ground in 2024 have slipped repeatedly, first to early 2025, then early 2026, and most recently to “this summer,” yet no construction activity is visible in Torre Faro, the Sicilian launch site.

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Engineers and seismologists question the project’s feasibility. Antonino Risitano, former dean of engineering at the University of Catania, warned that “you might be able to build it” but citing the lack of technology to test cables of this unprecedented length.

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Environmental groups also object.

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Italy’s Court of Auditors blocked the project in October, saying the government had not demonstrated financial sustainability and ordering revised cost estimates. In June, Rome prosecutors opened a corruption probe into alleged attempts by a lawyer and a former board member of the state-owned Strait of Messina plc to influence auditors in exchange for project approval; both deny wrongdoing.

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The bridge has become entwined with Salvini’s political fortunes. After the departure of former army general Roberto Vannacci from the League, the project is seen as a litmus test for Salvini’s leadership as his party slips in the polls. Opposition parties argue the €23 billion economic benefit claimed by the consortium would be better spent upgrading Sicily’s aging rail and road network.

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Webuild, leading the Eurolink consortium, maintains that the bridge has been engineered to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 7.1 and that seismic studies support its structural safety. Pietro Ciucci, chief executive of the Strait of Messina company, says the foundations have been positioned to avoid active faults.

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• “You’re surprised I’m so unfazed. Why should I worry?” — Mariolina De Francesco, retired university lecturer

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• “You might be able to build it,” — Antonino Risitano, former dean of engineering at the University of Catania

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• “The strait of Messina is one of the world’s 28 most important bird migration routes,” — Gaetano Benedetto, WWF Italy’s vice-president

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• “I’m convinced the bridge will never be built,” — Mariella Valbruzzi, No Ponte Capo Peloro campaign founder

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