Overview

• The bridge will span approximately 3.3 km between two 400 m-high towers, carrying three road lanes per direction alongside dual railway tracks tied into the EU TEN-T network.
• Preparatory works are slated to begin by the end of 2025, with full construction running from 2026 until a targeted completion in 2032 under the Webuild/Eurolink consortium.
• Rome has designated the project as defense expenditure to help fulfill NATO’s five-percent GDP spending commitment and to emphasize its strategic value for rapid military mobility.
• Officials estimate the crossing will handle up to 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains daily, aiming to spur job creation and economic growth in Sicily and Calabria.
• Environmental groups and more than 600 researchers have lodged EU complaints over seismic safety, biodiversity threats, and potential organised-crime infiltration during the decades-long build.