Italy gives final approval for world's longest suspension bridge to Sicily

[muriel_volestrangler]

Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot.

The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes.

It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project - several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling.
...
According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle will run and three lanes of traffic on either side.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80d74v0e4lo

And they want to call it "military expenditure", because of the "spend 5% of your GDP on defense" nonsense in NATO.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I still don't believe this is going to happen

This has been a topic of discussion since my husband's late uncles were Senators.

Let's see in Ndrengheta, Cosa Nostra, and Camorra can play nice on the kick backs.

[Celerity]

2. A rendering of the bridge by the Messina Strait company