The incredible £11.9bn plan for world’s longest suspension bridge sparking fierce debate

Projected image of the Strait of Messina Bridge (Image: webuildgroup)

Italy's ambition to build the world's longest suspension bridge, a colossal structure linking Sicily to mainland Italy, has once again been thrown into turmoil, reigniting a decades-long national argument over cost, safety and priorities. The proposed bridge across the Strait of Messina, priced at around £11.9 billion, is being championed by Italy's right-wing government as a once-in-a-generation project that could transform the country's struggling southern economy. Supporters have said that it would slash travel times, create thousands of jobs and symbolise Italy's return to grand infrastructure building.

The project has been awarded to a consortium led by Italian infrastructure group, Webuild. Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, previously said about the bridge: "The Strait of Messina Bridge is a huge technological challenge. 3km of the Bridge will be suspended in the Strait, a magical place where it will be possible to meet the Magna Graecia. It is also the Italian challenge towards the rest of the world."

If built the bridge will surpass the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey (Image: webuildgroup)

If built, the bridge would stretch nearly 2.3 miles, with a single suspended span longer than any in the world. 

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, Matteo Salvini, said in a news conference in Rome that the bridge, featuring three traffic lanes in each direction alongside a double-track railway, would be capable of carrying up to 6,000 vehicles an hour and around 200 trains a day.

Salvini said the project would dramatically cut crossing times, reducing the ferry journey across the strait, which takes about 20 minutes but can take hours during peak times, to around 10 minutes by car.

The project, however, has been the subject of fierce opposition. 

Environmental groups, local campaigners and opposition politicians argue it risks irreversible damage to fragile coastal and marine ecosystems, while critics have also questioned whether such vast sums should be spent on a single mega-project when southern Italy continues to struggle with ageing roads, slow rail links and underfunded public services.

Those concerns have now been amplified by Italy's Court of Auditors, which has recently blocked progress on the bridge after ruling that key procurement and environmental requirements were not properly met.

The decision represents a significant setback for the government, casting doubt over whether construction can begin as planned and threatening to delay the project by years although Salvini was set on starting work on this project before the end of 2025.

The ruling represents a major setback for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, which has made the bridge a flagship symbol of its economic ambitions. Ministers reacted angrily, accusing the court of overstepping its authority and signalling that they may pursue appeals or special measures to keep the project alive.

Salvini has shown no sign of backing down, saying at the end of November that the government was tackling the court's concerns and was confident it would find a way to move the project forward.

He said: "It may take us a little longer, but I hope to start the construction sites before leaving this office."