Italy has officially approved the construction of what will become the world's longest suspension bridge, a massive 3,666-meter structure designed to connect Sicily to mainland Italy across the Strait of Messina. The project, estimated to cost €13.5 billion ($11.8 billion), received approval from Italy's Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS) after decades of delays due to environmental and financial concerns.
The suspension bridge will feature a main span of 3,300 meters across the Strait of Messina, accommodating both road and rail transport on a single deck. If completed as planned by 2032, the Strait of Messina Bridge will surpass Turkey's 1915 Çanakkale Bridge as the world's longest single-span suspension bridge. The project is being developed by a consortium led by Italian construction giant Webuild, in collaboration with the Strait of Messina company.
The bridge's engineering specifications represent what Webuild calls "an engineering first" in several aspects. Two massive steel towers, each standing 399 meters tall, will support a suspension system consisting of cables measuring 1.26 meters in diameter and stretching 5,320 meters in length. The 60-meter-wide bridge deck will accommodate six vehicle lanes and two railway tracks running in both directions, with a designed capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains per day.
According to Webuild, the Strait of Messina Bridge forms "the heart" of a much larger infrastructure development project. The comprehensive plan includes more than 40 kilometers of new roads and rail lines, three underground stations, and ten viaducts spanning across both Sicily and Calabria. The entire structure will be designed to withstand earthquakes and extreme winds, built according to the highest international engineering standards.
The project's history stretches back to the late 1960s when plans for connecting Sicily to mainland Italy were first discussed. Environmental concerns, financial constraints, and technical challenges have repeatedly delayed the ambitious project over the decades. Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, emphasized the significance of finally moving forward with construction, stating that "the Bridge will bring about a great infrastructure project spread out across many work sites contemporaneously."
"It will stimulate growth, employment and lawfulness across southern Italy," Salini explained. "Talented Italian engineers, managers and workers from the sector will finally have the possibility to work in their home country on one of the most challenging projects in the world." The project is expected to provide substantial economic benefits to Italy's southern regions, which have historically lagged behind the more prosperous northern areas.
The Strait of Messina Bridge represents part of a global trend toward ambitious bridge construction projects. Egypt's transport minister Kamel al-Wazir has announced that plans are progressing for a bridge connecting Egypt and Saudi Arabia across the Red Sea. Meanwhile, the Maryland Transportation Authority has released designs for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, demonstrating the continued importance of major bridge infrastructure worldwide.
With construction expected to begin soon and completion targeted for 2032, the Strait of Messina Bridge will not only set a new world record for suspension bridge length but also transform transportation and economic connectivity between Sicily and mainland Europe. The project represents one of the most ambitious engineering undertakings of the 21st century, promising to end Sicily's isolation and integrate the island more fully into Italy's transportation network.
