Sicily’s Bridge Plan Ignites Massive Protests

Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Messina, Sicily, on August 9, 2025, to protest a 13.5-billion-euro ($15.5 billion) government plan to build the world’s longest suspension bridge connecting the Italian mainland to Sicily. The Strait of Messina Bridge, championed by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, has reignited decades-long debates over its scale, environmental risks, seismic dangers, and potential mafia involvement.

The project, approved by a government committee on August 6, 2025, aims to span 3.7 kilometers, with a 3.3-kilometer suspended section, surpassing Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 meters. Supporters, including Salvini, argue it will create 120,000 jobs annually, boost southern Italy’s economy, and cut travel time across the strait from 100 minutes by ferry to 10 minutes by car. The bridge, featuring three car lanes per direction and a double-track railway, could handle 6,000 cars hourly and 200 trains daily. Italy also claims it supports NATO’s 5% GDP defense spending goal, classifying the bridge as a strategic corridor for troop and equipment movement.

Opponents, however, are unconvinced. Approximately 10,000 protesters marched in Messina, chanting “The Strait of Messina can’t be touched” and waving “No Ponte” (No Bridge) banners. They cite the region’s seismic risks, with Messina lying near active fault lines, as a major concern. Environmental groups have filed EU complaints, warning the bridge could disrupt migratory bird patterns and harm local ecosystems, including a nature reserve near Messina’s Torre Faro district. The expropriation of 440 properties, affecting roughly 1,000 residents, has further fueled anger. “They could offer me three times the value of my house, but the landscape matters more,” said Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old Messina resident, to Reuters.

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The specter of mafia infiltration looms large, given Sicily and Calabria’s history with the Cosa Nostra and ‘Ndrangheta. Despite Salvini’s pledge to enforce anti-mafia laws, skeptics fear organized crime could exploit the project, as it has with past infrastructure ventures. Italy’s president has insisted on strict anti-mafia oversight.

First proposed in 1969, the bridge has been shelved repeatedly due to these concerns. Revived by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration in 2023, it now faces legal challenges. Residents and lawyers plan to appeal the government’s decision by October 2025, though experts like Gianluca Maria Esposito from Sapienza University argue that public interest may override private objections. Preliminary work could start in September 2025, pending Italy’s Court of Audit approval, with full construction slated for 2026 and completion by 2032.

As protests grow, the bridge remains a flashpoint, pitting economic promises against environmental, cultural, and social concerns in a region wary of change.

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