The Strait of Messina Bridge is a long-planned suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, that connects the cities of Messina’s Torre Faro and the port city of Villa San Giovanni in Calabria
While the bridge has been proposed since ancient times, a detailed plan was made in the 1990s for a suspension bridge
The project was cancelled in 2006, under Prime Minister Romano Prodi
However, on 6 March 2009, as part of a massive new public works programme, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government announced that construction of the Messina Bridge would indeed go ahead, pledging €1.3 billion as a contribution to the bridge's total cost, estimated at €6.1 billion
The project was cancelled again on 26 February 2013, by Prime Minister Mario Monti's government due to budget constraints
The bridge would have been the longest suspension bridge in the world, 60% more than the main span of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, the world's current longest span
The bridge would have been part of the Berlin-Palermo railway axis (Line 1) of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T).
However, on 6 March 2009, as part of a massive new public works programme, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government announced that construction of the Messina Bridge would indeed go ahead, pledging €1. 3 billion as a contribution to the bridge's total cost, estimated at €6. 1 billion. The project was cancelled again on 26 February 2013, by Prime Minister Mario Monti's government due to budget constraints. The bridge would have been the longest suspension bridge in the world, 60% more than the main span of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, the world's current longest span. The bridge would have been part of the Berlin-Palermo railway axis (Line 1) of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T).