Italian government officials are reviewing final designs for an estimated $11.7-billion suspension bridge that, with a 3,330-meter-long main span, would break the current world-record length by 66%. Construction of the Messina Strait road-and-rail crossing between the mainland and Sicily could start next year, the owner's director general said at a London conference last month.
“The final design is fully confirmed … there are no [technical] uncertainties,” said Giuseppe Fiammenghi, director general of the owner, Stretto di Messina S.p.A., Rome, speaking at an engineering symposium. But he warned that financial uncertainties and Italy's economic situation could delay the project.