In this edition of TheBridgeGuy, I’ll be providing an update on the Strait of Messina bridge project in Italy. It has been a little over a year since I first posted about this project (and in case you missed it, I’ve linked that article here Suspension Bridge – World’s Longest – Proposed for the Strait of Messina). We now know more about the players involved, where the project is at and some new tantalizing details on what this bridge will look like.
The Stretto di Messina Company, which was established in 1981 to manage the project, has been working tirelessly over the decades to move the project along. Since the Italian government approved plans to restart work on the bridge, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has injected badly needed funds into the project, acquiring a controlling share in the company, hopefully ensuring the project will succeed this time around.
The company’s Board of Directors oversee the work on behalf of public agency stakeholders, who each own a percentage of the company – which is valued at €672 million. MEF hold the majority stake at 55%, while ANAS, the Italian road infrastructure company holds just over a third. Italian Railway Network, another major user of the bridge, holds a 5% stake, while Sicily and Calabria, the two regions connected by the bridge, each hold a 1% stake.
In February 2024, the Board approved the Designer’s Report, outlining the overall plan for construction of the bridge. This report also details the complex oversight structure of the project, the standards the project must follow and any testing that should be done.
Parsons Transportation Group (PTG), a respected suspension bridge design firm in their own right, will act as the Project Management Consultant. An Expert Panel will also provide technical oversight in four distinct areas – Professor Giorgio Diana for aeroelastic and aerodynamic issues, Professor Ezio Faccioli and Giovanni Vaciago for seismic and geotechnical issues and Professor Sascia Canale for environmental issues. There is also a Scientific Committee providing further technical input on the project.
The General Contractor is an international consortium known as Eurolink. Eurolink is led by parent company WeBuild (formally known as Impreglio), along with Spanish firm Sacyr, Japanese firm Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries and a number of other Italian firms.
Design of the bridge has long been complete, beginning back in 2006, with Danish architect firm Dissing+Weitling and Danish engineering firm COWI handling the design. Some preparatory work began in 2009 before the project was shutdown in 2013 due to lack of funding. This time around, the Italian government appears to be serious about building the bridge.
When will work start? In March 2024, WeBuild CEO Pietro Salini said he fully expected work to start in 2024. Those predictions have now been pushed to early 2025. The last major hurdle the project now faces, according to Stretto di Messina’s website, is approval of the project by the Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS). This committee coordinates economic policy with the European Union, which is likely providing some financing for the project.
It is important to recognize that projects of this size do not just happen overnight! Securing the necessary financing upfront is a smart move – this should help avoid any construction delays related to funding down the road. But even with these delays, Stretto di Messina is confident the bridge to be open to traffic by 2032.
And the main bridge is only part of the story. To connect this new bridge to the Calabrian and Sicilian regions on both sides of the Strait, the project will be building over 40 kilometers of road and rail connections, 80% of which will be in tunnels. That explains why the project will take nearly a decade to complete – that’s a lot of construction!
Facts and Figures
- Total Length = 3,666 m (12,027 feet), between expansion joints
- Traffic Lanes = 3 (each direction)
- Rail Tracks = 2
- Vehicle Capacity = 6,000 vehicles per hour
- Rail Capacity = 200 trains per day
- Design Life = 200 years
- Navigable Channel Width = 600 meters (1,968 feet)
- Channel Vertical Clearance = 70 meters (230 feet)
Towers
- Tower Height = 399 m (1,309 feet)
- Tower Weight = 55,000 t (60,627 tons)
- Tower Material = Stone Masonry
- Foundation = Approx. 50 m (164 feet) diameter plinths
Suspension System
- Number of Main Cables = 4
- Cable Diameter = 1.26 m (4.1 feet)
- Wires per Cable = 44,323
- Total Weight of Cables = 170,000 t (187,393 tons)
- Spacing of Suspender Cables = 30 m (98 feet)
- Anchor Concrete Volume = 533,000 cubic meters (697,137 cubic yards)
Look for more updates once construction breaks ground!
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