Bridge over the Strait of Sicily (Italy)

(International News Press Agency) - Bridge over the Strait of Sicily (Italy), work starting in summer 2024 with a 'possible' opening in 2032. Bridge over the Strait of Sicily, work starting in summer 2024 with a 'possible' opening in 2032 From the 3,300 meters of the suspended span to the almost 400 meters of height of the towers on the two banks, the structure is expected to have a 'useful life' of 200 years.

The deck will accommodate two road carriageways which will have 3 lanes in each direction (two travel and one emergency) and a double-track railway site. The bridge project involves the crossing of 6 million vehicles a year and 60,000 trains that will travel the 'Palermo-Rome' stretch in 5.5 hours compared to 12 hours today. Here are the characteristics: the Bridge will guarantee journeys of 15 minutes for railway services (compared to the current 120 minutes for passenger trains and 180 minutes for freight trains); 10/13 minutes by road compared to the current 70 minutes for cars and 100 minutes for freight vehicles.

In the 7 years foreseen by the construction site, 4,300 workers will be employed per year, with peaks of 7,000, for a total of 120,000 work units generated. The bridge will be open to traffic 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The road and railway works include 40 km of road and railway connections (around 80% developed in tunnels) which will connect, on the Calabria side, the Mediterranean motorway (A2) and the Villa San Giovanni railway station and, on the Sicily, the Messina-Catania (A18) and Messina-Palermo (A20) motorways as well as the new Messina railway station and the 3 underground railway connected to the stations of Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria and Messina. (Italia News Press Agency - www.italianews.org)