A €13.5 billion ($15.6 billion) proposal to construct the longest suspension bridge in the world, linking the island of Sicily with the Calabrian province on the tip of Italy’s boot, has received final sanction from Rome. The bridge’s designers assert that it will be earthquake-resistant because it will be constructed on one of the Mediterranean’s most seismically active regions.
This is the most recent attempt by Italian authorities to start the Messina Bridge project; previous attempts have been abandoned because of issues with cost, safety, environmental harm, or possible mafia interference.
The final plan calls for a 3.3-kilometer (2.05-mile) bridge that spans the Messina Strait between two towers that are 400 meters (1,300 feet) high. It will include three lanes of traffic on either side and two railway lines in the center. In order to meet NATO’s goal of allocating 5% of GDP to defense, Rome hopes to have the bridge classified as a military expenditure.
The objective was to finish the bridge between 2032 and 2033, according to Meloni’s government ally and head of the right-wing Lega party, Matteo Salvini, who hailed the milestone as minister of transport.
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