A suspension bridge connecting mainland Italy to Sicily has always seemed like a bit of a pipedream for locals. It was floated around for years before officially being scrapped in 2013, but the idea has now been revived by the newly-elected government. 

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that she will put forward a request to the EU to help fund €25 million of the executive design costs of the build. The €4.6 billion bridge will connect mainland Italy to Sicily by rail and road. Locals and tourists can currently get to Sicily by plane, boat or train, the latter is carried by ferry for part of the journey from the mainland to the southern island. They can not currently drive or catch a direct train between the two parts of the country. 

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The current Italian government anticipates that it will begin construction on the building of the 3 km long bridge at the end of this year and it will be completed by the early 2030s. Once completed, the bridge connecting mainland Italy and Sicily will be the world’s longest suspension bridge. Currently, the longest suspension bridge is the Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, which spans just over 2 km. It will directly link the Sicilian city of Messina with the Calabria region making travel between the mainland and island seamless. 

While many locals are for the project, others are against it due to the impact it could have on the environment, with tourists and locals being able to access Sicily more easily it may lead to overcrowding in areas that do not have the infrastructure to support masses of people. But considering this project has been floated for decades people are sceptical about whether it will actually go ahead. Only time will tell. 

When will the bridge between Italy and Sicily be completed?

The current Italian government is hoping to break ground on this project at the end of 2024. It is estimated that the multi-billion dollar suspension bridge will not be complete until early 2030s.

How to get to Sicily?

The quickest way to get to Sicily is by plane. There are also ferry services that run from mainland Italy. You can also catch a train, which is transported for part of the journey by a ferry. 

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