Italy’s transport minister said bridge could be in use by 2032.
The Italian government on Wednesday approved a controversial €13.5 billion project to build a massive suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to mainland Italy.
The governmental economic planning committee CIPESS gave the green light to what would be the world’s longest suspension bridge, spanning the 3.3 kilometres over the Strait of Messina.
The news was announced by deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini, who resurrected the multi-billion project after the planned construction of the bridge was scrapped a decade ago over budget constraints.
Describing it as a historic day, Salvini told reporters that the bridge should be in operation “by 2032 or 2033” with work set to get underway in the autumn, pending approval by the audit court.
The bridge would act as a “development accelerator” for the impoverished , Salvini said, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs.
Prime minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the bridge as “a strategic project for the development of the entire nation”, describing it as “an investment in Italy’s present and its future”.
The landmark bridge is designed with two railway lines in the centre and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a span of 3.3 kilometres, suspended between two 400-metre high towers.
Currently the only way to cross the Strait of Messina is by ferry. The trip takes about an hour by car and two hours on the train – with individual carriages loaded onto the ferry – however the bridge aims to cut these travel times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively.
Ok al progetto definitivo del Ponte sullo Stretto di Messina.
Insieme scriviamo la storia, con un’opera che farà bene all’Italia da Sud a Nord. pic.twitter.com/MPEIxyTHyc
— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) August 6, 2025
Salvini has said the bridge will represent “the crowning glory of Italian engineering” and would be built according to “new technical, safety and environmental standards”.
However critics have raised concerns about its structural viability in an earthquake-prone area as well as its environmental impact and the risk of mafia infiltration.
The project has also faced criticism over its exorbitant cost, with opponents arguing that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
The Italian government recently announced that it will seek to classify the bridge as a strategic military asset amid a push to meet NATO’s five per cent GDP defence expenditure target.
Plans to undertake the massive infrastructure project, rejected by previous governments due to high costs and engineering impracticability, date back to Roman times.
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