Italy gives the final approval of the longest suspension bridge in the world in Sicily

Rome gave final approval to a 13.5 billion euros project ($ 15.6 billion) to build the longest suspension bridge in the world, connecting the island of Sicily to the Calabria region, at the forefront of the Italian boot.

The designers claim that the bridge – which should be built on one of the most active areas seismically in the Mediterranean – can resist earthquakes.

This is the last attempt of Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project – several have tried over the years, but the plans have then been rebuilt due to concerns about cost, environmental damage, security or potential interference.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni admitted that the most recent project had not been easy.

However, she said on Wednesday that she considered that it was an “investment in the present and the future of Italy”.

“We take advantage of difficult challenges when they make sense,” said Meloni.

According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina Strait will extend 3.3 km (2.05 miles) and extend between two laps of 400 meters (1,300 feet) high, with two rail lines in the middle will take place and three traffic lanes on each side.

Rome hopes to classify the bridge as a military expenditure so that it was for NATO’s objective of 5% of the GDP spent in defense.

The Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini, the head of the right -wing party Lega and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the objective was to finish the bridge between 2032 and 2033.

He also said that the bridge would create 120,000 jobs per year and would bring economic growth in the region. The regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in Europe.

However, the project must always be accumulated by the Italian court of auditors as well as environmental agencies, at the national level and the EU.

Local residents on each side of the Strait whose properties could be expropriated must also be consulted and could legally contest the decision, which means that the construction of the bridge can be delayed or completely drop out.

It would not be the first time that the bridge building has been lifted. Since the first plans were developed over 50 years ago, various ideas for her had to be exceeded for various reasons and he has long faced severe opposition.

This included concerns that the enormous amount of taxpayers’ money is a huge amount by the Sicilian and Calabrians mafias, which have a broad influence on politics and society in southern Italy.

On Wednesday, local politicians reiterated their misfortune with the government’s decision.

Senator Nicola IRTO of the Democratic Party (PD) qualified the project of “controversial and division”, saying that he would divert “the crucial resources of local transport, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality health establishments”.

Giusy Caminiti, the mayor of Villa San Giovanni, near the place where the bridge would be built on the Calabrian shore, said that his city would be seriously affected and urged more time for consultations.

The Calabrian base committee “no to the bridge” criticized the announcement on Wednesday and said it was a political maneuver, rather than the outcome of an in -depth technical assessment.

Local groups that oppose the bridge also claim that its construction would use millions of liters of water per day while Sicily and Calabria have regularly struggled with drought.

Currently, the only way for trains to cross the Strait is to drop the coaches on the ferries and transport the sea in a 30 -minute trip.