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Italy Approves Final Design for Record-Breaking Strait of Messina Bridge

Preparatory site works are set to start this summer under a €13.5 billion plan classified as defense expenditure.

(FILES) A general aerial view shows the Sicilian coast towards Cape Torre Faro, over the Strait of Messina, taken from the outskirts of the town of Scilla, in Calabria region in southern Italy, on July 7, 2020. Italy's government on August 6, 2025 approved a 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Image
A general view shows the Strait of Messina, Italy, August 5, 2025. The area is part of the planned site for a suspension bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with construction expected to begin in the second half of 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Overview

  • Italy’s interministerial public investment committee (CIPESS) granted final approval to the €13.5 billion definitive design for the suspension bridge linking Sicily and Calabria.
  • The Eurolink consortium, led by Italy’s WeBuild and Spain’s Sacyr, has inked contracts and plans to begin full construction in 2026.
  • Preliminary works on site are scheduled to begin in late summer 2025 to prepare foundations and access infrastructure ahead of bridge erection.
  • Before entering the official enactment phase, the project must secure EU environmental approval and pass a review by Italy’s Court of Auditors.
  • Proponents say the bridge will spur job growth and investment in the historically underserved south, but seismic engineering challenges, environmental opposition and potential mafia interference persist.