The Environmental Impact Report into Italy’s massive Strait Bridge project is due for completion shortly. The aim is for the project to be approved by Italy’s Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS) by the close of 2024.
Building the proposed suspension bridge would provide a massive economic boost to both the island of Sicily and Calabria on the Italian mainland, the country’s two most economically-challenged regions. Replacing the current ferry service would boost both tourism and transport.
The project is not without its detractors however. A suspension bridge is required given the earthquake risks in the region as well as the fierce current and tidal flow through the Messina Strait. Building this bridge will provide major engineering challenges, with the longest central span and highest support towers ever for any suspension bridge, surpassing those of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey in Turkey. Bridges spanning the Messina Strait have been discussed since Roman times 2,000 years ago, when a floating structure resting on barrels was suggested and then again by Emperor Charlemagne who proposed a stone bridge in the 9th century.
