On Wednesday, August 6th, Italy’s government endorsed a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world’s longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the peninsula. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. The minister stressed that the bridge and the associated new roads, railways, and stations would act as a “development accelerator” for the less-developed regions of Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled.
Yet the project has sparked local protests over its environmental impact and cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, said that the mega-project would “divert a huge amount of public resources” and “risks turning into a gigantic black hole.”
Meloni insisted that it is the “demonstration of Italy’s willpower and technical expertise” that would “form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation.”
The bridge is expected to be completed by 2032.
