KEBBI GOVT DONATES 10 HILUX VEHICLES TO BOOST SECURITY ON SOKOTO–BADAGRY SUPER HIGHWAY. (PHOTOS).
The Italian government announced Wednesday its approval of a new bridge project to connect the mainland with the island of Sicily.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Matteo Salvini shared the news on X, confirming that construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina—the narrow stretch of water between Calabria on the mainland and Sicily—has been greenlit.
Salvini described the project as historic, writing, “Together, we write history with a work that will benefit Italy from South to North.” He also posted a video detailing the bridge, which will be a suspended single-span structure approximately 2.28 miles long, making it the longest bridge of its kind worldwide. The design includes six lanes for vehicles and a railway track.
The bridge will connect Villa San Giovanni in Calabria to Messina in Sicily, with an estimated cost of about $15.6 billion.
However, the plan has drawn criticism. Italy’s largest labor union, the General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), sent a letter to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, citing “serious technical, environmental, regulatory, and social issues” with the project and questioning its legal admissibility.
Concerns have also been raised about the site’s vulnerability to earthquakes and potential involvement of local organized crime in the construction process.
The project’s first phase, focused on road and rail connections, is scheduled to begin in May 2026, with bridge construction set to start in March 2027. Completion is expected by 2032.
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