(ANSA) – ROME, JUL 29 – Stretto di Messina, the company overseeing the project to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina connecting Sicily and the Italian mainland, said Tuesday that its board of directors have approved the documents that will be put to CIPESS economic planning committee to give the final green light for work to begin.
The company said the overall cost of the project remained 13.5 billion euros, including the construction of the bridge, 40 kilometers of road and rail links, the three new train stations and a business center in Calabria.
If all goes well, the world’s longest suspension bridge will be completed by 2032, Pietro Salini, the CEO of Webuild, which is heading the consortium tasked with building the bride, said recently.
The project, which had been championed by late three-time ex-premier and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, had been set aside due to its high cost, environmental concerns, and fears of mafia infiltration.
But is was revived by Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini after the centre-right’s victory in the 2022 general election.
In May Italy’s biggest union, the CGIL, wrote to the European Commission asking it to withdraw approval for the government’s plan, citing “serious technical, environmental, regulatory and social critical issues”. (ANSA).
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Last modified: July 30, 2025