Thousands protest plan to build world’s longest bridge from Sicily to Italy

Residents are opposed to the span implicit its scale, earthquake threats, biology effect, and mafia interference.

Thousands of radical person marched successful Sicily to protestation against a authorities program to physique a span that would link the Italian mainland to the Mediterranean island, and would beryllium the world’s longest single-span bridge.

Some 10,000 demonstrators marched successful the Sicilian metropolis of Messina connected Saturday to signifier their absorption to the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.7bn) infrastructure project.

Residents are against the projected Strait of Messina Bridge task implicit its scale, earthquake threats, biology effect, and imaginable mafia interference.

The thought to physique the span has been debated for decades. This week, however, it saw a large measurement guardant erstwhile a authorities committee overseeing strategical nationalist investments approved the plan.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called it “the biggest infrastructure task successful the West”.

Salvini cited studies estimating the task would make up to 120,000 jobs annually and assistance stimulate economical maturation successful lagging confederate Italy, arsenic billions much are invested successful surrounding roadworthy and infrastructure improvements.

Critics, however, are not convinced, and angered that astir 500 families would person to beryllium expropriated for the span to beryllium built. Salvini says specified families volition beryllium compensated.

“The Strait of Messina can’t beryllium touched,” protesters shouted arsenic they marched successful Messina. Many carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge).

Mariolina De Francesco, 75, sits connected a sofa successful her location [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]

“They could connection maine 3 times the worth of my house, but that doesn’t substance to me. What matters is the landscape. They indispensable not interaction the Strait of Messina,” Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old nonmigratory of Messina whose location lies adjacent the tract of 1 of the bridge’s planned 399-metre- (440-yard-)tall onshore towers, told The Associated Press quality agency.

“Our lawyers volition instrumentality action, and we volition halt them. That’s guaranteed.”

The projected span would span astir 3.7km (2.3 miles) with a suspended conception of 3.3km (more than 2 miles). It would surpass Turkiye’s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 metres (1,400 yards) to go the longest suspension span successful the world.

Preliminary enactment could statesman successful precocious September oregon aboriginal October, pending support from Italy’s Court of Audit. Full operation is scheduled to statesman successful 2026, with completion planned betwixt 2032 and 2033.

The span would trim the clip to transverse the strait by ferry, usually up to 100 minutes, to 10 minutes by car. Trains would prevention 2.5 hours successful transit time, Salvini said.

The task could besides enactment Italy’s committedness to rise defence spending to 5 percent of gross home merchandise (GDP) targeted by NATO, arsenic the authorities has indicated it would classify the span arsenic defence-related. Italy argues that the span would signifier a strategical corridor for accelerated unit movements and instrumentality deployment, qualifying it arsenic “security-enhancing infrastructure”.

Environmental groups, however, person lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns that the task would impact migratory birds.

Italy’s president has besides insisted that the task stay taxable to anti-mafia authorities that applies to each large-scale infrastructure projects.

A drone presumption shows Lake Ganzirri, portion of the planned tract for the operation of a suspension span on the Strait of Messina, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with operation expected to beryllium completed by 2032, successful Messina, Italy [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]