Plans to resur­rect Italy bridge project

Messina Strait, Italy (Photo: AdobeStock)

Italy’s new gov­ern­ing coali­tion is reported to have hopes to resurrect previously abandoned plans to build a multi-billion euro 3.3km bridge across the Messina strait from Scilly to mainland Italy.

Prime Min­is­ter Gior­gia Mel­oni’s gov­ern­ment is said to see the bridge as key to bol­ster­ing Italy’s influ­ence in the Medi­ter­ranean region and pos­i­tion­ing the coun­try as a gate­way to Africa.

Initial plans for the world’s longest sus­pen­sion bridge across the strait were quashed in 2013, after doubts surrounding its financial stability and whether the structure could withstand the volatility of the region.

Last year, infra­struc­ture min­is­ter Mat­teo Salvini met with counterparts from around the EU and Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean in Brussels, where he said the bridge over the Strait of Messina was a “priority” for the Italian government and citizens.

Salvini also added that the bridge would represent the completion of a “fundamental European corridor” linking the Mediterranean to Scandinavia.