Some 10,000 demonstrators marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to stage their opposition to the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.7bn) infrastructure project.<\/p>\n
Residents are against the proposed Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and potential mafia interference.<\/p>\n
The idea to build the bridge has been debated for decades. This week, however, it saw a major step forward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan.<\/p>\n
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called it \u201cthe biggest infrastructure project in the West\u201d.<\/p>\n
Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in lagging southern Italy, as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements.<\/p>\n
Critics, however, are not convinced, and angered that about 500 families would have to be expropriated for the bridge to be built. Salvini says such families will be compensated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Strait of Messina can\u2019t be touched,\u201d protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many carried banners that said \u201cNo Ponte\u201d (No Bridge).<\/p>\n
![\"Mariolina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-08-08T050422Z_1105086332_RC2Z0GA4ZKWH_RTRMADP_3_ITALY-BRIDGE-1754805646.jpg\")
Mariolina De Francesco, 75, sits on a sofa in her house [File: Yara Nardi\/Reuters]<\/p>\n
\u201cThey could offer me three times the value of my house, but that doesn\u2019t matter to me. What matters is the landscape. They must not touch the Strait of Messina,\u201d Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old resident of Messina whose house lies near the site of one of the bridge\u2019s planned 399-metre- (440-yard-)tall land towers, told The Associated Press news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur lawyers will take action, and we will stop them. That\u2019s guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proposed bridge would span nearly 3.7km (2.3 miles) with a suspended section of 3.3km (more than 2 miles). It would surpass Turkiye\u2019s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 metres (1,400 yards) to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.<\/p>\n
Preliminary work could begin in late September or early October, pending approval from Italy\u2019s Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion planned between 2032 and 2033.<\/p>\n
The bridge would reduce the time to cross the strait by ferry, usually up to 100 minutes, to 10 minutes by car. Trains would save 2.5 hours in transit time, Salvini said.<\/p>\n
The project could also support Italy\u2019s commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment, qualifying it as \u201csecurity-enhancing infrastructure\u201d.<\/p>\n
Environmental groups, however, have lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns that the project would affect migratory birds.<\/p>\n
Italy\u2019s president has also insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/reuters_689836b8-1754805944.jpg\")
A drone view shows Lake Ganzirri, part of the planned site for the construction of a suspension bridge along the Strait of Messina, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with construction expected to be completed by 2032, in Messina, Italy [File: Yara Nardi\/Reuters]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Residents are opposed to the bridge over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and mafia interference. Thousands of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":133991,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[440,2219,50,7237,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-133990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-europe","9":"tag-italy","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-protests","12":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115003738625396113","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}