Incredible plan to build £8.4bn bridge connect Italy with beautiful island

What is often referred to as “the oldest dream in Italy” could be set to become a reality after plans to build a bridge linking Sicily with the mainland were approved by the Italian parliament.

Italian governments have discussed the possibility of connecting the two pieces of land separated by the Messina strait for centuries, with a mix of political, environmental and economic factors contributing to plans never getting off of the ground.

But after a vote was won in the Italian parliament brought forward by Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, the decree became law on May 24.

If successfully built, the 2.2 miles bridge would be three times the length of the Queen Elizabeth II bridge and Dartford and would cost around £8.4bn (€10bn) to build.

Michele Longo, engineering director of Italian construction and civil engineering group Webuild, highlighted the possible transport infrastructure at a Rome parliamentary hearing.

Mr Longon said: “The span would support three vehicle lanes in each direction and one for a rail. It would support 6,000 cars per hour, and the passage of up to 200 trains per day.”

Longo also emphasised that the bridge would “boost the national GDP by €2.9bn per year” and create roughly 100,000 jobs.

The bridge would connect Sicily with mainland Europe and would support the expansion of the Sicilian rail system, creating a high-speed link between Salerno, Reggio, Calabria, Messina and Palermo.

The bridge could also be partly financed by the European Union, having been included in the Trans-European Transport Network, a plan designed to aid the building of infrastructure that benefits member states.

According to WeBuild, the bridge over the Strait of Messina will be equivalent to 4% of the total rail and road investments in Italy and will expand freight and transport capacity.

Nicholas Wyatt, Head of Research and analysis for Travel & Tourism at GlobalData said: “Rail and road infrastructure developments tend to increase travel as they improve accessibility and reduce travel times, making shorter stays more viable.

“The Messina Bridge project will likely serve to facilitate increased traveller flows and help boost tourism revenues, thus providing a welcome boost to the country’s GDP.”

Despite this, there are still no guarantees that the plans will come to fruition.

Economic considerations, political changes and campaign groups unhappy with the project could all be potential barriers to its completion.

Environmental organisations have expressed concerns over the potential impact on marine life, the ecological impact of increased car travel and the risk of earthquakes in an area prone to them.

Stefano Lenz, Institutional Relations director at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said: “The entire Strait of Messina area is a protected area.”

Mr Lenzi warned that the environmental cost of the project would be “extremely high and unsustainable.”