US Edition'They must not touch the Strait': Sicily bridge opponents vow to put up a fight
SICILY, ITALY, AUG 8 – Italy's government approved a €13.5 billion bridge to connect Sicily and mainland, aiming to boost the regional economy despite expected legal and environmental challenges.
- Italy's right-wing government gave final approval on August 6 to build a 3.7-km bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland over the Strait of Messina.
- The project, which has been under consideration for more than five decades and has origins tracing back to ancient Roman times, now faces opposition stemming from environmental issues and ongoing legal disputes.
- The Messina Strait Company, responsible for the project contracted to the Eurolink group headed by Italy’s Webuild, has committed to an earthquake-resistant design and environmental measures aimed at protecting local habitats.
- Costs rose from €8.5 billion in 2011 to €13.5 billion attributed to higher material prices, while activists warn that about 1,000 people could lose homes despite compensation promises.
- Lawyers say citizens cannot block the project but can appeal administratively before end of October, yet experts note blocking it would be a daunting challenge amid public interest claims.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Beyond the political opinions, there is no doubt that there is a driving stability that has been lacking in Italy for years. And that concrete steps have been taken, such as the employment records and the start of the bridge on the Strait, a work that has been talked about for more than half a century and that no one has ever had the courage or the ability to realize
In less than ten years, Sicily and Calabria will be connected by a suspension bridge – the longest in the world – has just affirmed the Italian government. A titanic but probably useless work, squanders the critics of the project, who denounce waste and demand a restoration of the territory in these two regions, which are among the most affected by unemployment, estimated at 17%, and the failing infrastructures.
The construction of the disputed 3.6-kilometre-long mega-bridge from mainland Italy to Sicily has been decided. Whether the billion-dollar project can actually be implemented, however, is not yet said. There is already massive resistance from environmental protection associations. With complaints they want to defend themselves – among other things against hundreds of expropriations. More than 440 plots of land must be expropriated on the Sicilia…
Italy announces the construction of the world's largest suspension bridge from the mainland to the island. Time saving is not only tempting for holidaymakers, but there are many criticisms of the billion-dollar project in the south of the country.
Rome, 8th Aug - With the definitive green light to the bridge over the Strait of Messina and the start of the yards planned for September, Italy is preparing to realize one of the most ambitious works of its recent history. But despite the chronic fatalism of a certain part of public opinion and the ferocious campaign of the left against infrastructure, even the internationally renowned architect Massimiliano Fuksas has taken a clearly favorable…
For the start of the yards of the bridge on the Strait of Messina "it seems to me that only the registration of the Court of Auditors is necessary. We are in August. It is clear that it is August for everyone in Italy, so there is not a certain time within which we must return the act" (ANSA)
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
