Construction has begun in Italy on the world’s longest suspension bridge, Ponte Stretto Messina, which will connect Sicily with the mainland for the first time. The bridge will stretch 3.6 km across the Strait of Messina and will include three lanes of road traffic in each direction, as well as a two-way railway.
The project is being carried out by the architecture company Webuild and will cost $15.6 billion. Completion is scheduled for 2033. The bridge will be able to carry up to 6,000 cars and 200 trains a day. Engineers say the structure will be resistant to seismic activity and extreme weather conditions.
The idea of the bridge has existed since Ancient Rome, and plans to build it have been discussed since the 20th century. But only now have technology, political will and ambition come together in a real project that could become an important step toward overcoming the historic divide between the north and south of the country.
