
The Strait of Messina Bridge
The Bridge that joins Italy to Europe
Engineer Explains How the World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Would Work | WSJ
How will the Strait of Messina Bridge be like? The 3D reconstruction of the original projects – Geopop / Webuild
10 questions about the Bridge
What were the stages leading up to the final plans for the bridge?
In 1969, Italy’s ministry of public works made an international call for ideas on a crossing of the strait. A final solution took shape in 1992 and, 11 years later – in 2003 – a preliminary design was approved. In 2006, a public entity called the Società Stretto di Messina assigned the Eurolink Consortium, of which the Webuild Group is leader, the detailed design and the task of building the bridge. On December 20, 2010, Eurolink submitted plans for the project after a detailed study and analysis of the area. On July 29, 2011, Società Stretto di Messina approved them.
When can construction begin?
Ground could be broken immediately, meaning construction could start in the coming months. Once the detailed design has been approved, the bridge could be built in a mere six years.
What are the technical features of the bridge that would break records?
The project foresees the construction of the longest suspension bridge in the world at 3,660 metres, with a span of 3,300 metres. Its deck would be 61 metres wide, while the two towers on the shores would be 399 metres high. The suspension system would consist of two pairs of cables, each 1.26 metres in diametre, stretching for 5,320 metres between the anchor blocks.
How many vehicles and trains would be able to cross the bridge
The bridge would have three vehicle lanes in each direction (two for regular traffic, a third for emergencies), and one for a rail. It would be able to support the crossing of six million vehicles and 60,000 trains a year, bringing Sicily’s five million residents closer to the rest of the continent.
How much will the bridge cost?
The cost of building the bridge itself will be approximately €4.5 billion.
How much will the related works cost?
The cost of the bridge is equal to about 40 percent of the total for the infrastructure network that would accompany it. The remaining 60 percent would be related works such as the upgrading of the road and rail networks in Sicily and Calabria for a cost of circa €5.3 billion. So-called non-functional works related to the bridge like three rail stations in Messina, a central office in Calabria, and preparing the terrain to reduce hydrogeological risks would cost €1.1 billion.
How many jobs will be created for the construction of the bridge?
It would create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs already in the first year of construction. More than 100,000 people would potentially be employed, directly and indirectly, during the life of the project, with 300 businesses involved.
What will be the bridge’s economic impact?
The project is expected to boost the national economy by €2.9 billion a year, equal to 0.17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Will the bridge be earthquake resistent?
The bridge would have the highest structural integrity in the world, able to withstand a quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale.
What will be the wind’s impact on the structure, as well as the traffic?
The deck’s aerodynamic stability, known as the Messina Type Deck, would resist winds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (corresponding to a return period of over 2,000 years). This type of deck has been studied and tested independently by the most authoritative research centres and international laboratories, using various physical models in wind tunnels (Italy, England, Canada, Germany and Denmark). The concept behind a “semi-transparent” aerodynamic deck, studied for Messina, has already been applied to the world’s longest bridges. The structure would allow vehicle traffic during winds of up to 158 kilometres per hour, while the tests that have been conducted would allow for trains passing at 120 kilometres per hour with winds blowing by up to 150 kilometres per hour, and at 60 kilometres per hour with winds at up to 190 kilometres per hour.
The Strait of Messina Bridge project
Ponte sullo Stretto di Messina, straordinaria opportunità di sviluppo infrastrutturale per il Paese
Last updates on the Bridge
September 30, 2023
Strait of Messina Bridge: Webuild-led Eurolink consortium, delivers updated documentation of the final project to Stretto di Messina Company
September 27, 2023
Pietro Salini: supplementary documentation to be delivered on september 30 regarding the update of the final project of the Strait of Messina Bridge
July 12, 2023
Webuild nominates Gianni De Gennaro as Chairman of Eurolink, general contractor of Strait of Messina Bridge
May 24, 2023
The Strait of Messina Bridge Decree has been approved. The Italian Senate has resolved to give way to the Decree with urgent dispositions to build the stable connection between Sicily and Calabria
April 18, 2023
The "Camera dei Deputati" (the Italian equivalent of the House of Commons in the UK) – Transport and Environment Commissions
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March 31, 2023
Bridge Decree signed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella to be carried out
March 22, 2023
The Strait of Messina Bridge "will join Sicily to Calabria, creating new jobs in the South of Italy" says Italian Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini on "5 Minuti" programme on Italian tv channel Rai 1
March 18, 2023
Strait of Messina Bridge, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport looks at the world: The Italian Challenge
17 March 2023
Pietro Salini at Feuromed - "Festival Euromediterraneo dell’Economia"
The numbers of the Strait of Messina Bridge
The numbers of the Bridge that connects Italy to the rest of Europe
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people could be hired in the project
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trains will transit on the Bridge every year
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the peak number of vehicles that will transit on the Bridge every year

The Technical data of the Bridge
Engineering excellence: an extraordinary opportunity for Italy's development
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meters, the length of the Bridge's span, which will be the world's longest
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meters, the height of the towers of the Strait of Messina Bridge
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meters, the width of the Bridge's deck
The Strait of Messina Bridge is a huge technological challenge. 3km of the Bridge will be suspended in the Strait, a magical place where it will be possible to meet the Magna Graecia. It is also the Italian challenge towards the rest of the world.
Relaunching infrastructural projects must begin from designing new works. But also, by activating projects that are already ready, like the Strait of Messina Bridge. In Sicily, Italy is planning 8 thousand km of railways. The Bridge would be the natural prosecution towards Calabria and the North of Italy.