Italy gives final go-ahead for landmark Sicily bridge project

A woman walks with her dog along the Sicilian coast with the Calabrian shoreline visible across the Strait of Messina, Italy, August 5, 2025. The area is part of the planned site for a suspension bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with construction expected to begin in the second half of 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ROME (Reuters) -Italy's government gave final approval on Wednesday to the construction of what will be the world's longest single-span bridge, linking Sicily to the mainland, despite environmental, financial and other concerns that have delayed it for decades.

The 3.7 km (2.3-mile) structure has been under discussion since at least the late 1960s as a tool to develop the impoverished south of Italy.