Italy will construct the world's longest suspension bridge

On Thursday, March 16, Italy's Council of Ministers authorized the construction of the world's longest suspension bridge that will connect the island of Sicily and the Italian mainland. It should be mentioned this is the first time the project has gotten this level of formal approval.

The bridge will eventually be 3,666 meters long with a single span that is 3,300 meters long. Thus, the center span will be more than 50% longer than the 2,023-meter central span of the Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which is currently the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The deep water and fast currents between the two land masses make constructing a bridge a difficult task for engineers. The minister of infrastructure and transport mentioned that the bridge would be "the crown jewel of Italian engineering." Furthermore, the bridge would connect high-speed trains from the mainland to Sicily for the first time, making transportation more affordable and quick.

Although both the cost and completion of the Italian Messina Bridge have not yet been disclosed, earlier estimates indicate that the project will take at least six years to complete and will cost about 8.5 billion euros (US$9bn).

The project's detractors are worried about probable cost overruns, seismic vulnerability, and negative environmental effects. In a statement released on Thursday, Matteo Salvini, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy, stated that the project would be environmentally favorable by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, while it would also boost local tourism and draw business to the region.

The government announced on Thursday that the project will be funded initially by the ministries of infrastructure and transport and of finance, and that it will be repaid over several years by tolls on bridge traffic. In the upcoming weeks, more information about the bridge's plans is expected.