A Serious Error not to Build the Strait of Messina Bridge
According to Costanzo Jannotti Pecci, president of Confindustria/Federturismo, the lack of infrastructures is the major obstacle to the development of tourism in Southern Italy.
During a conference at Cnel, Mr. Pecci argued that the construction of the bridge could have represented a great symbolic action. Under the pressure of strenous lobbies, the project has nw been stopped. As an example, he claimed that the Millau Viaduct, the tallest vehicular bridge in the world inaugurated in December 2004, did increase tourist presences exponentially in the region. Besides adding to the tourism industry, the Strait of Messina Bridge could have had an enourmous impact on the island’s logistic system by establishing the basis of an efficient and modern integrated transport system between Sicily and the Mainland.
The Strait of Messina Bridge was a planned suspension bridge that was to cross the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy. After years of discussion and planning that had come very close to beginning construction, the project was cancelled by the Italian government in October 2006.
Construction was to begin in 2006 and was expected to be completed in 2012. If completed, it would have been the largest suspension bridge in the world. While the bridge had been planned for many decades, the idea for a bridge has been around since Roman times. A design for a restrained buoyant submarine tube tunnel that would have been anchored to the seabed was submitted by British engineer Alan Grant in an international competition promoted by the Italian government in 1970.
Two ministers of the newly elected government of Romano Prodi stated their opposition to the project when taking up office. As of August 2006, the project was announced as “under review” for budgetary reasons. Citing concerns that the project was too expensive, likely to enrich criminal gangs and might not be earthquake-proof, the project was terminated in October 2006 over protests from southern Italian legislators.
The funds reserved for building the bridge will instead be used to improve ferry service between Messina (Sicily) and the mainland at Villa San Giovanni in Calabria and hydrofoil service from Messina to Reggio Calabria, as well as other transportation projects.
Source: Wikipedia
