The Italian government has given the green light to an incredibly ambitious plan to connect Sicily and mainland Italy with the world's longest suspension bridge. Measuring 3.6 km (2.24 miles) in length, the project finally realizes an idea that is thought to have existed since the Roman Empire.
The Ponte Stretto Messina's actual span – the section between its two supporting towers – will be slightly shorter at 3.3 km (roughly 2 miles). It will stretch over the Strait of Messina in southern Italy and accommodate three road lanes in each direction, two service lanes, plus two railway tracks. Around 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains per day are expected to cross it.
The width of the bridge's deck will measure approximately 60 m (195 ft) and its two ground-based towers will reach a considerable 399 m (1,309 ft) in height – or around the height of the Empire State Building. Two cables measuring 1.26 m (4 ft) in diameter will arc between the towers, each made up of 44,323 individual steel wires.
As mentioned, linking Sicily to the Italian mainland is a plan that dates back millennia, but there are good reasons that it has never actually happened. The area is very busy with shipping, it experiences high winds, and it's one of the most seismic areas of Europe. Bridge safety is quite a sensitive subject in Italy, particularly since the 2018 collapse of the Genoa's Morandi Bridge in heavy rains. But a consortium led by Webuild says that it can take any such concerns in its stride.
"Suspended bridges are the most seismic reliable structures since they have a low sensitivity to earthquakes," explains the firm on its website. "As a fact, a great number of this kind structure is built in areas of greater seismic hazard compared to the Strait of Messina, such as California, Turkey or Japan."
The Ponte Stretto Messina is expected to be completed in 2032, however, as the BBC points out, there may be some opposition from local groups, which could potentially delay the start of the project. Its budget is estimated at €13.5 billion (around $15.7 billion).
Sources: Stretto di Messina, Webuild
