The go-ahead was given from Palazzo Chigi “subject to agreements” to start construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina, Italy.
This is a goal scored by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, who rejoices: “It is a historic day. After fifty years of chatter, this Council of Ministers approves the single span bridge which unites Sicily to Italy and the rest of Europe.”
It will be the “greenest building in the world,” the Northern League minister promises, because it will allow for a reduction in carbon dioxide pollution. But it will also be – in his words – a tourist attraction, given that it will be the longest cable-stayed bridge (supported by cables) in the world: about 3.2 km between Villa San Giovanni and Messina.
The provision, reports Corriere della Sera, resuscitates the company Ponte dello Stretto Spa, established in 1971, in which the Italian railway network Spa, Anas, the Regions of Sicily and Calabria will take part, as well as, to an extent of no less than 51%, the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, which exercises the shareholder’s rights in agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, to which the latter is assigned functions of direction, control, technical, and operational supervision» on the work.
The contribution of the European Investment Bank is also at stake: the institute would consider its own participation, without prejudice to the environmental compatibility of the bridge, a topic that Salvini has already discussed in an ad hoc meeting with Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice President of the EIB. The Bank itself is part of the Invest-EU plan which has just launched the 3.4 billion euro loan for the renewal of the Palermo-Catania railway section.
“The bridge will give jobs to many thousands of people for several years,” the Minister also underlined. It could take 5 years to build the infrastructure. First step: the authorizations already obtained in 2012 relating to the railway and road connections and the adaptation of the old plan to the new times. The objective declared by the Ministry is a “fast construction site” with the start as early as July 2024.
Silvio Berlusconi also joins the jubilant chorus, saying: “This time they won’t stop us. It is another promise to the Italians that we are finally able to keep.” Environmentalist associations are always and firmly skeptical.
