Following years of planning, the Italian government along with the EU, has confirmed that the construction of a suspension bridge to connect mainland Italy with the island of Sicily, will begin at the end of this year.
The road and rail bridge will span three kilometres, making it the longest suspension bridge in the world, according to Euronews.
A grant agreement will see the EU cover 50% of the executive design costs of the bridge infrastructure. The total estimated cost of construction is €14,6 billion (R274 billion)
While many organisations support the construction of the bridge to ease the pressure on the overcrowded ferry services that currently offering the only link to the island, environmental groups fear the bridge’s construction may disrupt the active seismic zone and the local ecosystem.
