A record breaking span The bridge would cross about 3.6 kilometres of water between Torre Faro on the island of Sicily and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria on the mainland. Its central suspended span would reach 3,300 metres, making it the longest of any suspension bridge ever built.
Two towers would rise to roughly 399 metres, taller than almost any building in Europe. The design preserves a vertical clearance of about 65 metres so ships can pass beneath. The crossing would carry both a roadway and a railway, forming part of the Berlin to Palermo rail axis within the Trans European Transport Networks.
Cost and timeline The headline figure is €13.5 billion, which the February 2026 decree fixed in place. The construction programme is staged across several years. Foundation works for the towers and anchorages are planned for 2026 and 2027. Tower erection and cable spinning are scheduled for 2028 and 2029. Deck assembly and finishing works are expected across 2030 and 2031. Officials are targeting completion around 2032, after roughly seven years of work.
Who is building it The general contractor is a consortium called Eurolink, led by the Italian group Webuild. The Danish firm Cowi is responsible for the bridge design. Japan's IHI Corporation has also joined the construction effort, bringing long span suspension bridge experience. The public project company Stretto di Messina oversees the work on behalf of the state.
Why it matters The strait currently relies on ferries that can be slowed or halted by weather. A fixed crossing promises faster, more reliable links between Sicily and the rest of Italy for passengers and freight. Supporters argue it could lift economic development across the south and finally close a missing gap in the European rail network.
The doubts The project sits on a seismically active zone near a major fault line, which raises engineering and safety questions. Environmental groups have challenged the impact on the strait and its protected habitats. Critics also point to the cost and to a long history of cancellations, since versions of this bridge have been proposed and shelved repeatedly for more than half a century. Whether the 2026 start holds will be the clearest test yet of the government's resolve.
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