Messina Strait bridge tender due?

Italy’s radical Messina Strait bridge project will be open for tender shortly, according to Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT). This hugely expensive bridge link will connect the island of Sicily with the Italian mainland.

The bridge will measure 3.7km in length, carrying three traffic lanes in either direction as well as dual rail lines. The bridge towers will have to be up to 400m high, with construction intended to commence in mid-2024.

The bridge will have to meet major technical challenges and will be record-setting in scale. The proposed design is for a suspension bridge, o cope with the massive earthquakes that the area experiences. However, it will feature the widest central span of any suspension bridge ever built with enormous towers to support the structure.

The project will help boost the economies of Sicily and Calabria in Southern Italy, two of the country’s most depressed regions. Replacing the ferry service will help improve trade and transport as well as further boosting tourism to these areas. The project is controversial however due to its massive cost and there are questions still as to whether it is truly viable.

Meanwhile, MIT says it intends to cancel the concession for the A24 and A25 routes currently run by Strada dei Parchi, which had been agreed to run until 2030. A compensation package for cancelling the deal has been agreed within MIT but is lower than the sum demanded by the concession holder.