A bridge over the Strait of Messina subject to study

Messina, Italy (Ports Europe) January 12, 2022 - The Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility (Mims), Enrico Giovannini, has reported that the information to start a technical-economic feasibility study for the construction of a stable crossing system (bridge) of the Strait of Messina is now complete. The study will examine the design of a "multi-span airlift" bridge, comparing it with that of the "single span" bridge and with the so-called "zero option". As part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr - Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza), €520 has been allocated to such a project. The bridge is a long-planned suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, a narrow stretch of water between Eastern Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy. The bridge has been a topic for governments for many, many years and a detailed plan was made in the 1990s for a suspension bridge. The project was cancelled in 2006 and subsequently revived as part of a massive new public works programme. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government claimed that construction of the bridge would go ahead, pledging €1.3 billion towards a total cost estimated at €6.1 billion. The project was cancelled again in 2013, by Prime Minister Mario Monti’s government due to financial constraints. There are many issues surrounding the proposal: earthquake risks, environmental risks and mafia enrichment included. Such a bridge would be the longest suspension bridge in the world and part of the European Union's Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T). However, the sheer cost and scope of the project, and it’s role as a vanity project for politicians, means it has never come close to realisation. In 2020, Giuseppe Conte suggested that part of the Recovery Fund might be invested in the project. An EU condition, however, makes a non-starter as the project would have to be completed by 2026 – highly unlikely considering the scope of the project. A bridge would complement a long-term priority for the European Union to get cargo moving faster between Sicily's ports and northern Europe. Improved communications with mainland Italy, including cargo rail links to Northern Europe, would enable Sicily's ports to exploit their locations in the middle of the Mediterranean and develop a international trade hubs. Currently, a flotilla of ferries and other vessels transport people, vehicles and cargo across the Strait of Messina, and inevitably there are seasonal and weather-related delays. A high-capacity bridge with the railways would enable Sicily's ports to unload containers and transport them north to European markets. This would reduce shipping times as this route could be used instead of sea journeys to North European ports. In September, the Italian government relaunched the possibility of erecting a bridge to cross the Messina strait at its narrowest point, a 1.9-mile stretch between Calabria and Sicily. A committee is expected to make a recommendation this spring on its feasibility. Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2022.

A bridge over the Strait of Messina subject to study

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A bridge over the Strait of Messina subject to study

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DP World issues a “blue bond” in the Middle East

Turkey’s STM to build two ships for Portuguese Navy

Port of Figueira da Foz moves tugboat to the Atlanticeagle Shipbuilding shipyard

Port of Aveiro advances Maritime Accessibility Improvement Project

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Our Expert Analysis

Latest Free Reads

Top Ports