Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy’s boot.
The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes.
It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project – several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted the most recent project has not been easy.
However, she said on Wednesday that she considers it an “investment in Italy’s present and future”.
“We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense,” Meloni said.
According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side.
Rome is hoping to classify the bridge as a military expenditure to make it count towards the Nato target of 5% of GDP spent on defence.
Transport minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the goal was to complete the bridge between 2032 and 2033.
