Italian project under question

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.
March 15, 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 Should the whole project be officially withdrawn, it is possible that no compensation would be paid.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

  • Highway developments to boost east-west transport
    February 16, 2012
    Huge highway developments are being planned and carried out to further improve East-West transport, with Central Asia a key region as Patrick Smith reports
    Read More
  • Panama bridge project report released
    October 14, 2019
    A report has been released regarding the project to build the fourth bridge spanning the Panama Canal. The report concerns the awarding of the design and construction contract and reveals that there may be an increase in building costs over original estimates due to geotechnical requirements. The report also says that such large capital projects should be split into two, one covering feasibility studies and design work and the second for construction and maintenance. The bridge project is being handled by t
    Read More
  • Changing policy for Europe’s road funding?
    August 27, 2013
    The 2011 EC White Paper on Transport acknowledges that transport is the backbone of Europe’s economy, directly employing 10 million people and accounting for approximately 5% of EU GDP. In addition, it recognises that ‘infrastructure shapes mobility’ and that ‘curbing mobility is not an option’. Given the importance policymakers place on the ability to move people and goods seamlessly across Europe, it becomes rather hard to explain why they have neglected for so long the main ‘vehicle’ for mobility acro
    Read More
  • East End Crossing Project—Availability payment P3 in action
    July 14, 2017
    Indiana exercised its authority to use a P3 contract when it partnered with Kentucky for new bridges across the Ohio River. Barney Allison and John Smolen* explain the groundbreaking availability payment deal. Earlier this year, traffic began rolling over the new tolled Lewis and Clark Bridge spanning the Ohio River from northern Kentucky to southern Indiana. The cable-stayed bridge is part of the award-winning Ohio Bridges Project to untangle traffic within the greater metropolitan area of Louisville, Kent
    Read More

Highlighted Content