Plans for a €13.5bn bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy continue to face significant delays, with no construction visible at the proposed site in Torre Faro, Sicily. The project, which aims to create the world's longest suspension bridge, was initially targeted to break ground in 2024, then early 2025, and subsequently early 2026. In February, the leader of the far-right Lega insisted construction would begin by this summer.
The proposed bridge, designed to span 3.3km between Torre Faro and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, would include six traffic lanes, two service lanes, and two railway tracks. However, engineers and seismologists have expressed doubts about its feasibility and safety. Antonino Risitano, a former dean of engineering at the University of Catania, stated that current technology cannot test suspension cables of the required size and length, making the project not technically feasible.
Concerns also surround the bridge's resilience to seismic activity in the Strait of Messina, a tectonically active region. Carlo Doglioni, a leading Italian geologist, noted that over 5,000 low-magnitude earthquakes have been recorded in the area over the past 40 years, and the region is crossed by fault systems capable of producing magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes. Webuild, the consortium leading the project, maintains the bridge is designed to withstand extreme conditions, including earthquakes up to magnitude 7.1.
Further obstacles include a corruption investigation by Rome prosecutors into allegations of attempts to influence court of auditors judges, and the court of auditors itself blocking the project last October over concerns about financial sustainability and compliance with EU environmental rules. The WWF has also argued that the bridge would threaten the Strait of Messina, a crucial migration corridor for birds and marine mammals.