Thousands march against plan to build huge bridge linking Sicily to Italy's mainland
Thousands of people marched in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday to protest a government plan to build a massive bridge connecting the Italian mainland to the island. The $15.5 billion (13.5 billion euro) project has faced fierce opposition due to concerns over its enormous scale, potential earthquake risks, environmental damage, and fears of mafia involvement.
The idea of linking Sicily to mainland Italy by bridge has been debated for decades, but has repeatedly been delayed amid these worries. The project gained momentum this week when a government committee approved the plan as a strategic public investment. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the project’s main supporter, hailed it as the largest infrastructure undertaking in the Western world, promising up to 120,000 jobs annually and a boost to southern Italy’s struggling economy through related infrastructure investments.
Opponents remain unconvinced and angered by the forced expropriation of around 500 families needed for construction. Marchers chanted “The Strait of Messina can’t be touched” and carried “No Ponte” (No Bridge) signs, with organizers estimating about 10,000 participants.
The proposed bridge would stretch nearly 3.7 kilometers (2.2 miles), featuring a suspended section of over 3.3 kilometers, surpassing Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge to become the world’s longest suspension bridge. Preliminary work could start as soon as late September or early October, pending Italy’s Court of Audit approval, with full construction beginning in 2026 and completion expected by 2032 or 2033.
Plans for the bridge have been approved and scrapped multiple times since 1969, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government reviving the project last year. Designed with three lanes each way and a double-track railway, it would carry 6,000 cars per hour and 200 trains daily, cutting ferry crossing times from up to 100 minutes to just 10 minutes by car. Train travel would be shortened by around two and a half hours, according to Salvini.
The government also argues the bridge serves strategic military purposes, supporting NATO’s goal for Italy to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP. It could enable rapid troop and equipment movements and is classified as “security-enhancing infrastructure.”
However, environmental groups have raised concerns with the European Union, citing risks to migratory bird populations. Italy’s president has emphasized the importance of applying strict anti-mafia laws to the project, and Salvini has pledged to keep organized crime from interfering in the construction.
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