After 50 years of proposals, and numerous fits and starts, the island of Sicily will finally be linked to the mainland of Italy — if all goes as planned this time.
The Italian transport and infrastructure minister, Matteo Salvini, announced on Wednesday that the government had approved a project to build a two-mile bridge that would connect Sicily to the mainland. The project is expected to cost about $15.6 billion, he said, adding that “the goal” was to start preliminary work and expropriate homes in September or October — with a projected completion date of 2032-33.
It would be the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world, handling both road vehicles and trains, and would link the towns of Messina in Sicily and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria.
“I am absolutely proud of the work we’ve done so far,” Mr. Salvini told reporters at a news conference, describing the bridge as a “public work that has no precedent in the world.”
In 2011, a less costly project to build a bridge was canceled by Italian lawmakers because of concerns over its price tag — about $5.5 billion at the time — and whether it was needed. In 2023, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government revived plans for its construction, and on Wednesday a government planning committee approved the project.
In March 2023, the Italian government decreed that the bridge should be considered a “fundamental infrastructure” that could be used to move military equipment and troops, given the “important NATO bases in southern Italy,” including in Sicily. The government also declared that the planned bridge was of “significant national interest.”
Mr. Salvini said Wednesday that it would be up to the Italian economy and defense ministers to determine whether the cost of the bridge could be part of the commitment approved by NATO allies in June to raise military spending to 5 percent of their national income by 2035. Of that, 1.5 percent should be spent on “militarily adjacent” projects, like improved roads and bridges.
“They will decide what determines an increase in military spending,” he said of the two ministers, adding that he hoped the bridge would never have to be used for military reasons.
A representative for each ministry said nothing had been decided yet.
Webuild, the Italian company heading the consortium chosen to construct the bridge, said in a statement that it would be a “catalyst for investment in Southern Italy,” generating jobs in an area where unemployment is double the national average — 13 percent compared with 6.5 percent.
Opposition parties contend that the plan will squander public funds. Residents on both sides of the strait of Messina have voiced concern about changes the bridge will bring to their neighborhoods, and environmental groups say they fear its effect on the area’s flora, fauna and overall ecosystem, including bird migration routes.
Whether opponents can delay or stop the project remains to be seen, but on Wednesday, activists said they were willing to ratchet up the fight a notch.
“We will continue to defend our land in any way possible,” said Aurora Notarianni, an environmental lawyer.
Several organizations, lawmakers and activists, including Ms. Notarianni, have filed lawsuits with regional and national courts, and have called on oversight institutions to closely examine the project and ensure it is legally, financially and constitutionally sound.
This year, the Italian General Confederation of Labor, the country’s largest union, wrote to the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, with concerns about the project, citing “serious technical, environmental, regulatory and social-critical issues.” The union demanded that the commission review the project; the commission has not yet responded.
Critics also pointed out that the bridge would be built in an area prone to earthquakes. In 1908, a devastating quake struck Messina, killing about half of the population when 90 percent of the city’s buildings collapsed.
Fears have also been expressed about organized crime groups becoming involved in the project through dummy companies. The two regions involved, Sicily and Calabria, have deeply rooted local mafia cultures.
Mr. Salvini said on Wednesday that police chiefs and prosecutors in both regions were on high alert for any hint of mafia involvement. He added that anti-mafia protocols already adopted for other major public works — including Expo 2015, the world expo in Milan, and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Northern Italy — would be adopted for the bridge project.
Angelo Bonelli, a leader of the opposition Greens and Left Alliance, said the bridge project would be “an economic and social catastrophe” that would siphon funds from other projects in the south, including road maintenance, railway infrastructure and health care. “It’s a huge waste of public money to build a cathedral in the desert,” he said.
The project requires approval by Italy’s Court of Auditors, which is responsible for auditing how public money is managed and spent.
According to Webuild, the life span of the bridge is 200 years. For a mere 200 years, “they are going to destroy an area that has existed for thousands of years, creating a unique ecosystem,” said Ms. Notarianni, the environmental lawyer.
Elisabetta Povoledo is a Times reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years.
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