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 Should the whole project be officially withdrawn, it is possible that no compensation would be paid.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

  • Brazilian road building analysis
    April 15, 2015
    The Brazilian Government now intends to evaluate plans for additional private investment in transport infrastructure. The country’s Ministry of Planning will start analysing work that was not covered under initial contracts for private investment in current road, railway and port projects. The plans represent substantial sums with an estimated total investment of US$9.76 billion in all. Under the current model, companies look for official permission to carry out work in order to improve their concessions. G
    Read More
  • China looks to the future with major highway plans
    February 15, 2012
    China is still moving ahead with plans that will give it the world's biggest highway system. Patrick Smith reports. As China's economy grows even more, keeping the country on the move has become a priority for the government. While the country has made great strides over the past decade in improving its infrastructure, the number of vehicles has also increased rapidly, and in some instances restrictions have been placed on them.
    Read More
  • Projects planned for Colombia’s highway connections
    March 10, 2014
    From Colombia comes news of a US$13.4 billion funding package that will be directed towards the construction of nine highway projects. This package of works includes construction and concessions for a series of highways, which will be carried out under the PPP model. These include the Conexión Norte, Autopista al Río Magdalena 1, Autopista al Río Magdalena 2, Autopista al Mar 1 and Autopista al Mar 2. They also include the Autopista Conexión Pacífico 1, Autopista Conexión Pacífico 2 and Autopista Conexión P
    Read More
  • Braila Bridge in Romania inauguration
    June 27, 2023
    Romania’s landmark Braila Bridge link is having its official inauguration.
    Read More

Highlighted Content