TORINO – A government of technicians, that of Monti, put an end to it. Ten years later, another non-politically-led executive, that of Draghi, is bringing him back to life. The Messina bridge regenerates like the heads of the Hydra, and perhaps this time it will not be yet another unsuccessful attempt. The longest suspended single-span maxi-structure in the world is in fact very topical.
WeBuild, the leading construction group that built Genoa’s San Giorgio bridge in two years has always kept the flame of the connection to the Strait lit with a project in its pocket that Impregilo collaborated with, which is now incorporated into the group led by Pietro Salini. And a few days ago he relaunched the project on his social channels. A billion-dollar operation, which in the Next Generation Eu era returns to seem less chimerical.
So much so that the revamping of the Bridge he returned to Parliament, already in the era of the Draghi government. The question was presented to the Chamber by Matilde Siracusano of Forza Italia, who asked for clarification on the work of the ministerial commission set up in September by the then minister Paola De Micheli, for the evaluation of project proposals for crossing the Strait.
He replied to her on Friday the Undersecretary for Infrastructures, the Northern League’s Alessandro Morelli, who explained on behalf of the Government that the commission has begun the conclusion of the work for the preparation of the relative report. Not too specific answer. To which Siracusano replied, underlining how the European resources, arriving for our country, could be used – if not for the Bridge, given the tight deadlines – to carry out the connecting works, given that the work goes in the direction of transition ecological, reducing by 80% the CO2 emissions produced today by ferries and planes that connect Sicily to the Continent.
In addition to the environmental theme, the bridge over the Strait would open unprecedented scenarios for the whole South in terms of transport. From Salerno to Reggio Calabria, the railway line would become high-speed and, after passing the short stretch of sea between Piale and Margi at 300 km / h, a new railway line would go up to Catania and then to Palermo, concluding that corridor of the Ten Network that starts from Oslo, it arrives in Denmark and descends from Germany to Austria and arrives in Italy from the Brenner Pass, and then from Verona it descends the peninsula. Passengers and goods, would transform Calabria and Sicily into a world hub of tourism and trade.
WeBuild, as mentioned, it focuses entirely on the Eurolink project which was already approved in 2011. Cost of the investment, updated to 2021, 8.56 billion, and duration of the works about six years, sufficient to create the longest single-span structure in the world: 3.3 kilometers, while the entire bridge would be 3.66 kilometers long. The structure would be supported by two towers 400 meters high, which would be the tallest buildings in Italy. The structure is calibrated to withstand seismic events of the highest level, the deck would be 61 meters, where 6 road lanes and two railway tracks would run. The total cost would be divided as follows: 6 billion would be for construction; 2,105 million euros of financial charges; 221 million costs of the structure under construction; 237 million in debt reserve.
To these should be added 1.344 million ancillary works, excluding the Tav lines. The financial leverage would be 90% debt and 10% with own means, with resources coming from the private / public sectors, or subject to public control not consolidated in the state budget such as Rfi, Cdp and Anas.
For the state there would be about 8 billion in new revenue in the construction phase alone, while in the 30 years of management, tax revenues of 107 billion would be generated by all related activities, in addition to 118 thousand new employees between direct and indirect hires, with a 0.5% increase in the national employment rate and an increase of 0.2% of the Italian GDP.
As he wrote until recently the journalist Tony Zermo – perhaps the greatest Sicilian supporter of the work – in the newspaper La Sicilia “the island has only one large project ready and even immediately building site, and that is the Bridge over the Strait, what would be the longest in the world with a path of 3,300 meters, and that perhaps for this reason frightens those who do not look beyond their nose: despite the fact that it would employ 40 thousand workers for ten years in the two regions with the highest unemployment rate “.
The debate on the bridge it is open as always. While waiting for Minister Enrico Giovannini to give the green light to the commission’s report, the only certainty is that the bridge will be able to access the resources made available by EU funds, therefore the unspent resources of the Cohesion and Development Fund 2014-2020, equal the resources of the Cohesion and Development Fund 2021-2027 and the resources of the TEN-T Railway Networks Fund to approximately 30 billion euros. To which could be added those of Next Generation Eu. But you have to leave quickly to get a part of it. Hence the wait to know the outcome of the ministerial commission’s work.