• The Bridge will be a showcase of world-class engineering and Italian industry, a symbol of the ability to build and deliver major infrastructure projects across the globe.
• With a suspended span of 3,300 meters, the Strait Bridge will have a span one kilometer longer than the current record-holder, the Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, and will accommodate both road and rail traffic. 
• In addition to the Bridge, the mega project includes complementary works in Sicily and Calabria, such as roads and railway connections to the national network, regional transport lines, three railway stations in Messina, and a business center in Villa San Giovanni, Calabria.
• The project will transform mobility between Sicily and the rest of Italy, acting as a catalyst for economic development, industry, employment, culture, tourism in Southern Italy 

Rome, 6 August, 2025 – The Strait of Messina Bridge has officially entered the implementation phase. Italy’s Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (known by its Italian acronym CIPESS) has approved the Definitive Design for the Bridge, which will have the world’s longest suspended span. The design also includes a series of significant complementary works that are strategic for the area. The approval follows the signing of the Addendum to the Contract between Stretto di Messina, the Concessionary Company, and Eurolink, the General Contractor led by Webuild. The Addendum signed by Eurolink is worth €10.6 billion. This Addendum will come into effect with the publication of the CIPESS approval in the Official Gazette, Italy’s official journal of record. 

The Bridge’s construction, strongly supported in its definition by the Stretto di Messina Concessionary Company, will be led by Webuild, a global leader in large, complex infrastructure projects, such as the Genova-San Giorgio Bridge and the second and third bridges over the Bosphorus in Turkey. The Group will be joined by Companies that are builders of reference in the sector such as: Spain’s Sacyr, which partnered with Webuild to expand the Panama Canal; IHI from Japan, which built the Akashi Bridge in its home country, the Osman Ghazi Bridge in Turkey and the Bridge over the Danube River in Braila Romania with Webuild; jointly with other Italian Partners in Eurolink, Condotte and Itinera.

The design team includes world leaders in the construction of suspended bridges: COWI, the Danish Firm with more than 90 years of experience whose works include the Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey and the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark.

The project involves the construction of a Bridge with a deck spanning 3,666 meters. Its central suspended span will be 3,300 meters long, making it the longest suspension bridge in the world. The deck, approximately 60 meters wide, will have three vehicle lanes in each direction, two rail lines and two service lanes, guaranteeing a fast, stable and efficient connection between the continent and Sicily with its five million inhabitants. It will be able to support the passage of up to 200 trains a day and 6,000 vehicles an hour, 24 hours and 365 days.

The steel towers will reach 399 meters in height with a suspension system consisting of cables 1.26 meters in diameter and 5,320 meters in length - engineering first. The Bridge will be designed to withstand seismic activity and extreme winds. It will have an intelligent monitoring system to guarantee safety and oversee predictive maintenance work.

The complementary works related to the Bridge are a fundamental part of the project: a network of infrastructure and connection to be built on both shores of the Strait, including more than 40 kilometers of roads and rail lines. There will be functional connections to the Bridge as well as non-functional works related to the Bridge (three train stations in Messina and a multifunctional center in Calabria). Environmental mitigation works and compensation initiatives are also planned.

In Calabria, road connections will extend for approximately 10 kilometers, while rail lines will be 2.7 kilometers in total length, connecting to the historic Tyrrhenian line and the future high-speed/high-capacity line between Salerno and Reggio Calabria. In Piale in the Municipality of Villa San Giovanni, a multifunctional center will be built to host activities related to the management of the Project. It will also have services such as stores, restaurants and a convention center.

In Sicily, there will be 10.4 kilometers of roads and 17.5 kilometers of rail lines, which will connect with the existing regional network between Messina-Catania and Messina-Palermo. Among the works to be done will be three train stations in Messina (Papardo, Annunziata, Europa) that will offer a transport service to connect the Bridge to the university, hospitals and city center.

All of these complementary works will profoundly change mobility for the two Regions, whilst protecting the surrounding environment. It is estimated 12 million cubic meters of earth to be excavated in Sicily and 4.5 million in Calabria that will be used to build roads and restore the environment along the Tyrrhenian coast.

The deck’s clearance above sea level will be 72 meters. This clearance will be 600 meters wide. It will be lower at 70 meters under normal traffic conditions with a full load of vehicle lanes and two passenger trains passing simultaneously. These parameters are in line or greater than those of existing bridges spanning across large international navigational routes.

The Strait of Messina Bridge belongs to a wider investment programme to provide Southern Italy with modern and sustainable infrastructure that will improve its links to the rest of the country and other parts of Europe. The project will belong to the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Network - Transport (TEN-T), which is designed to integrate further Southern Italy at a logistic, economic and social level and reinforce its strategic role in Europe and in the Mediterranean.