Suspension Bridge Project Connecting Southern Italy and Sicily
Delayed and Canceled for Decades, Now Approved by Government
Classified as Indirect Investment Amid NATO Defense Spending Increase to 5%
The construction project for the Messina Bridge, which will connect mainland Italy and the island of Sicily, has received government approval and is set to move forward in earnest. According to Yonhap News on the 6th (local time), citing AP and dpa news agencies, "At an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the suspension bridge project connecting southern Calabria and Sicily was approved."
A fisherman is working on the beach of the Messina Strait, where the Messina Bridge is planned to be constructed. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
Matteo Salvini, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, held a press conference that day and described it as "the largest infrastructure project in the West." In fact, the Messina Bridge will have a total length of 3,666 meters, with a distance of 3,300 meters between the main towers, making it more than 1.5 times longer than the current world's longest suspension bridge, the Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which spans 2,023 meters. The total budget required is 13.5 billion euros (approximately 21.8 trillion won).
Once the Messina Bridge is completed, it will connect the mainland and Sicily by rail and road instead of by ferry. Upon completion, up to 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains per day will be able to cross, and the one-way trip, which currently takes 100 minutes by ferry, will take only 10 minutes by car. The government plans to begin preliminary work within this year, start full-scale construction next year, and complete the project by 2032.
The Messina Bridge project has been the subject of repeated delays, cancellations, and controversy for decades. According to Yonhap News, the idea for the bridge dates back at least to 1970, and the most recent cancellation occurred in 2013. In addition to the enormous cost, concerns have been raised about safety, as Calabria is an area prone to earthquakes. There has also been opposition among residents, as a significant amount of private land would need to be expropriated, and concerns have been raised about the environmental impact.
However, the right-wing coalition government led by Prime Minister Meloni has shown interest in the Messina Bridge project since 2022. Recently, as U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that NATO member states raise their defense spending target to 5% of GDP, the Italian government employed a kind of workaround. NATO recognizes 1.5% of the 5% as indirect security costs, such as security infrastructure, and by interpreting the Messina Bridge as 'dual-use' infrastructure that could support the strategic movement of NATO forces, the project was classified as an indirect security investment.
On this day, Minister Salvini stated, "We intend to classify this project as 'dual-use'," but added, "This is an issue to be addressed by the Ministers of Defense and Economy." A government report released in April stated, "While the bridge will have civilian uses, it is also strategically important for national and international security, and will become key infrastructure enabling the Italian military and NATO allied forces to move smoothly from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean."
However, more than 600 Italian university professors and scholars have voiced opposition, arguing that additional evaluation is needed before the Messina Bridge is used for military purposes.
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