Budget cuts affect Messina Straits bridge construction

A fresh set of problems has hit the long planned Messina Straits Bridge in Italy.
March 22, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

A fresh set of problems has hit the long planned Messina Straits Bridge in Italy. There is now reduced funding available for the project from the Italian Government. Some €1.6 billion that had originally been planned for this landmark project is now being used to pay for other infrastructure work, including the Naples-Bari, Foggia-Potenza and Messina-Catania railway. The Messina Straits Bridge project is being handled by a consortium comprising Italian contractor 3149 Impregilo and Spanish firm 3959 Sacyr. When this consortium was awarded the bridge project in 2005 the estimated cost of building the structure was some €4.4 billion. By the time the project was given the go-ahead in July 2011 the cost had spiralled to €8.5 billion.

Because the Italian interdepartmental committee for economic planning (CIPE) has used the €1.62 billion funding for other projects, the future of the Messina Straits Bridge is now in question. This move has been welcomed by environmental associations that are pushing for the Italian Government to reject the project. The Italian Government is considering cancelling all compensation payments agreed in the case of the contract being cancelled. Should the whole project be officially withdrawn, it is possible that no compensation would be paid. With Italy's economy struggling at present, there are questions as to whether the major investment required can be found. This much heralded structure is intended to provide a link between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily. However it has a chequered history that has seen the project being announced as going ahead and then being cancelled on more than one occasion.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cost of bridge across Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea doubles
    April 8, 2014
    The cost of building a bridge across the Kerch Strait between the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea and the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai may be double the initial forecast, according to Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov.
    Read More
  • The drive for US road funding: will corporate America get a seat?
    September 13, 2017
    Trumponomics aims to use public money for pump-priming an even greater amount of cash from the private sector to improve America’s crumbling roads. But is political will matching corporate America’s enthusiasm for more private investment, asks David Arminas If there were ever a test case for comparing public-private partnerships and design-build contracts, the recently completed Ohio River Bridges Project is it (see previous article).
    Read More
  • Replace bridge for Vancouver’s Massey Tunnel could aid congestion
    December 21, 2015
    Opponents of a proposed 10-lane bridge near Vancouver, Canada, said the structure will encourage urban sprawl in a region that is already struggling with a booming population. The British Columbia provincial government recently opened the final round of public consultation for the planned 3.3km toll bridge likely to cost around US$2.54 billion.
    Read More
  • Ukraine’s shattered highways
    July 26, 2024
    With no end to its war with Russia in sight, Ukraine is also fighting hard to cope with a growing backlog of major infrastructure projects, especially in terms of rebuilding the country’s roads and bridges. David Arminas reports.
    Read More

Highlighted Content