Strait of Messina Bridge 1462053 225189241 2008-07-12T10:43:12Z Tournesol 154959 will -> would [[Image:MessinaStrait-EO.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina, taken June 2002. NASA image.]] The '''Strait of Messina Bridge''' is a planned [[suspension bridge]] that would cross the [[Strait of Messina]], a narrow section of [[water]] between the eastern tip of [[Sicily]] and the southern tip of mainland [[Italy]]. For years discussion and planning for the bridge have been taking place; under [[Romano Prodi]] in 2006 the project was cancelled,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043626.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Italy drops Sicily bridge plans<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> however since winning the elections in 2008 [[Silvio Berlusconi]] has announced that the plans will be quickly restarted.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/04/16/afx4896998.html Italy's Berlusconi plans to quickly restart Messina straits bridge works]</ref> Construction was to begin in [[2006]] and was expected to be completed in [[2012]]. If completed, it will be the [[List of largest suspension bridges|largest suspension bridge in the world]], doubling the main span of the [[Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge|Akashi-Kaikyo]]. While the bridge had been planned for many decades, the idea for a bridge has been around since [[Roman empire|Roman]] times. A design for a restrained buoyant submarine tube tunnel, that would have been anchored to the seabed, was submitted by British engineer Alan Grant in an international competition promoted by the Italian government in 1970. This was awarded one of six equal first prizes. Two ministers of the government of [[Romano Prodi]] ([[18 May]] [[2006]]) stated their opposition to the project when taking up office. As of August 2006, the project was announced as "under review" for budgetary reasons. Citing concerns that the project was too expensive, was likely to enrich criminal gangs, and might not be earthquake-proof, the project was terminated in October 2006, over protests from southern Italian legislators. [[Image:Guardia-Costiera---Sicilia.jpg|thumb|right|488px|<center>View from Messina across the strait onto the tip of the boot of mainland Italy.</center>]] == 2006 plan == The 2006 plan called for a single-span suspension bridge with a central [[span (architecture)|span]] of 3,300&nbsp;[[metre|m]] (about 2&nbsp;[[mile]]s). This would have made the span more than 60% longer than the [[Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge]] in [[Japan]] (the [[List of largest suspension bridges|largest suspension bridge]] in the world at 1,991&nbsp;metres). Plans called for six [[traffic]] [[lane]]s (two driving lanes and one [[emergency lane]] in each direction), two [[railway]] tracks and two [[pedestrian]] lanes. In order to provide a minimum vertical clearance for [[navigation]] of 65&nbsp;metres, the height of the two [[tower]]s was to be 382.6&nbsp;metres. This would have been taller than the [[Millau Viaduct]] in [[France]] (currently the tallest bridge in the world at 341 metres). The bridge's suspension system would have relied on two pairs of [[steel]] [[cable]]s, each with a diameter of 1.24&nbsp;metres and a total length, between the anchor blocks, of 5,300&nbsp;metres. The design included 20.3&nbsp;[[kilometre|km]] of road links and 19.8&nbsp;km of railway links to the bridge. On the mainland, the bridge was to connect to the new stretch of the [[Salerno]]-[[Reggio Calabria]] [[motorway]] (A3) and to the planned [[Naples]]-Reggio Calabria [[High-speed rail|High-Speed railway]] line; on the Sicilian side, to the Messina-Catania (A18) and Messina-Palermo (A20) motorways as well as the new Messina [[railway station]] (to be built by [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana]]). Geographically, the bridge was planned to connect [[Reggio Calabria]] to [[Messina, Italy|Messina]], the two cities which face each other on either side of the strait, and form a single city. This ambitious urban project was called ''Area Metropolitana integrata dello Stretto (Integrated Metropolitan Area of the Strait)'' or simply ''Città dello Stretto (City of the Strait)''. Among the controversies surrounding the building of the bridge was strong opposition to the formation of the new city by various Sicilian nationalist groups. A construction [[consortium]] was chosen in 2005, with actual [[construction]] set to begin in the second half of 2006. Completion was projected to take six years, at a projected cost of [[euro|€]] 4.6 billion. On [[October 12]], [[2006]], the Italian Parliament voted 272 to 232 in favor of abandoning the plan due to the bridge's "doubtful usefulness and viability," as well as the inability of the already burdened Italian treasury to bear its share of the cost. Additionally, transport minister Alessandro Bianchi pointed out that the road and rail links leading to the location of the proposed bridge are not capable of supporting enough traffic to make the bridge profitable. Other reasons for abandoning the plan were earthquake risk, and fears that much of the funds would be diverted to organized crime.<ref> [http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,1920199,00.html Italian MPs kill plan to bridge Sicily and mainland | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited<!-- Bot generated title -->] </ref><ref> [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043626.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Italy drops Sicily bridge plans<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On [[April 15]], [[2008]] [[Silvio Berlusconi]] was re-elected prime minister of Italy and vowed to restart the project to build the bridge. <ref>[http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23545175-2703,00.html Italy in shift to two-party politics | The Australian<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> == Controversy and concerns == Many also questioned the priority of the bridge, since some towns in Sicily are still without running water,<ref>http://www.waterconserve.info/articles/reader.asp?linkid=13659</ref> and claimed that the money used for the bridge would be better spent elsewhere. There are also those who claimed that the bridge would be totally unnecessary, since the local economy is already providing for the conversion of a local former [[NATO]] [[airport]] into a commercial terminal to export vegetables to [[northern Europe]]. Alternatively, a much cheaper revamping of the current structures is claimed to be sufficient (for instance, the [[ferry]] lines on the [[Calabria]] side are now accessible by trucks only by driving through very narrow streets, which are a tight bottleneck for transport). Another argument against the bridge, is the poor state of the transport infrastructure in Sicily, particularly the railroad and [[Autostrada A20 (Italy)|Autostrada A20]] linking [[Messina]] to [[Palermo]], and poor state of the [[Autostrada A3 (Italy)|Autostrada A3]] on the mainland linking [[Reggio Calabria]] to [[Naples]]. Finally, there were concerns about the environmental impact of the bridge, its actual feasibility, and whether it could resist [[earthquake]]s, not uncommon in the region. ==The Strait== The Strait of Messina is a funnel-shaped arm of sea that connects the [[Ionian Sea]] in the south to the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] to the north. The width of the strait varies from a maximum of approximately 16 km (between Capo d'Alì in [[Sicily]] and [[Punta Pellaro]] in [[Calabria]]) to a minimum of approximately 3 km between Capo Peloro in Sicily and Torre Cavallo in Calabria. A similar distance separates Pezzo and Ganzirri; at that point, the strait is only 72 m deep, while in other places it can reach 200 m deep. It is also characterized by strong currents. ==History of Project== {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2007}} {{Copyedit|date=April 2007}} The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] considered building a bridge joining Calabria and Sicily made of boats and barrels. [[Charlemagne]] considered joining the two sides with a series of bridges. This idea was revived by the Norman adventurer [[Robert Guiscard]] in the 11th century and by [[Roger II of Sicily]] in the 13th century. In [[1876]], [[Giuseppe Zanardelli]] was convinced that the strait could be linked by either a bridge or a tunnel. In [[1866]], public works minister [[Stefano Jacini]] gave [[Alfredo Cottrau]], an internationally recognized engineer, the task of drawing up plans for a bridge between Calabria and Sicily. Later, in [[1870]], Navone came forward with plans for a tunnel based on [[Napoleon]]'s idea of a tunnel under the [[English Channel]]. This tunnel was to start at [[Contesse]] and was to pass below Messina and [[Ganzirri]] at a depth of 150 meters, crossing the Strait to [[Punta Pezzo]] and resurfacing at [[Torre Cavallo]]. A geologic study of the area of the Strait of Messina was published in [[1909]] (historical Arch. Sicilian year XXXIV f.1,2) and in [[1921]], a study of an [[undersea tunnel]] was released to the [[Geographic Conference of Florence]]. A group of [[Rail transport|railroad]] [[civil engineer]]s studied the possibility of a suspension bridge but nothing came of it. The idea was revived in the 1953 by master bridge-builder [[David B. Steinman]] with a plan to build a bridge that crossed the Strait using two 220-meter towers sunk in 120-meter-deep waters. The proposed 1,524 meter span would have represented a world record, eclipsing the then-longest 1,275-meter center span of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] and besting the 2,256-meter [[Mackinac Straits Bridge]] (then in planning) with a total length of 2,988 meters. The proposed structure would have cleared the sea by 50 meters to allow shipping passage. The proposed structure was, in the American style, to have had two decks, the lower of which was to carry two rail lines, and seven meters above, a road deck 30 meters wide. The main cables would have been a meter in diameter. The bridge would have required 12,000 workers and cost hundreds of billions of [[Italian lira|lire]] to build. <!-- THIS SECTION NEEDS CLEANUP AND POSSIBLY TRANSLATION BEFORE INCLUSION ===Plans of 1960s=== ====Alternative suggestions==== * A tunnel to submerged and berthed tubes, that the prevalence of the hydrostatic push previewed "to maintain to constant the level of the tunnel contrasting on the weight of the structure, is to empty that R-a.pieno.carico, by means of steel cables in tension berthed on the marine bottom". (Ing Cristaldi). * A Bridge to hydrostatic support, constructed with girders and metallic batteries, unloading on floating struts (Ing Saya). * A tunnel realized with submerged tubes and supports on high batteries to reef approximately 50 metri. (Ing. Merlini). * An interesting plan of the ing. Lombardi previewed "a bridge to submerged and not emerged bending" that, not being able neither to emerge, neither to sink it would be free from the infuences of the sismici motions, the current and the wind. One be a matter of a long bridge-tunnel 3.300 meters, divided in three sections, of which two of 1.500 meters and one centers them of 300 meters mails in horizontal to 25 meters under the water. The plan has been illustrated in an article appeared on the Sicily the 1/5/1968. The manufatto one to circular section with diameter of 32 meters previewed 2 inferior galleries parallels for the railway circulation and two advanced galleries for the circulation to veicolare. * More evocative plan, that one of the Ing. Emanuele Massaro. A tunnel submerged to lenticular hydrodynamics, autoportante for the principle of Archimedes, not legacy to the sottosuolo, difficult and tellurically dangerous shape, of the Strait and located where the sea is wider and deep and the marine currents is of smaller intensity. The submerged bridge would have been resisted in equilibrium from appropriate floating islands. The submerged tunnel could have been constructed more to south of the port of Messina, between Gaulish Fiumara of and Fiumara di Gazziri, distant 8,100 meters and in a zone where the depth of the sea is of 400 meters. The plan looked on to that the city of Reggio city of Messina would have become single metropoli in the heart of which the floating tunnel, would have become like the bridge that joins two quarters. * A bridge-raft of the messinese Patané the whose plan previewed a connection by means of a convoy of long pontate lighters ciascuna a hundred of wide meters and fifty, able ones to support on one corsia of 10 meters the two railway railroads and in the two from twenty meters ciascuna two street corsie. The all berthed one to two pylons you mail close to the two sides and connected to they from two revolving bridges in a position to concurring the marine traffic. Also quì the same atmosphere reservoirs characterized, approximately difficolta of one navigation of 30 mila ships to the bound year in directional and conditioned corsie to the useful times of the revolving bridges. ===Plans of 1970s=== In 1968, it came emanated law 384 that it conferred to the ANAS, the Railroads of the State, and to the CNR the assignment to acquire ulterior elements of judgment approximately the feasibility of the enterprise. The successive year the Ministry of the Jobs Publics with D.M. 134 advertised an international competition for a plan of viario and railway attraversamento of the Strait to which 143 contenders participated. In 1971, the creation of a stable connection between Sicily and Calabria were authorized from the law n.1158 of 17 December with the constitution of one society of private right to understood them public for the study, the planning and construction of the stable attraversamento of the Strait. ===Plans of 1980s=== This was realized ten years after, in 1981, with the constitution of the Tight Society of Messina S.P.A. to which to the ITASTAT and the IRI with 51% financially participated and Railroads of the State, ANAS, Sicily Region and Calabria Region in equal percentages of 12.25% everyone. The Tight Society of Messina, was therefore the concessionaire be them for the planning and realization of the work; 27 December 1985 defined a convention with ANAS and FS, and the 16 June 1986 introduced a Relationship of feasibility, from which it turned out that the bridge was technically realizable and economically convenient respect to other solutions. Then the president of the Roman IRI Prodi said that it was a priority and could begin the jobs in 1996. The Board of directors of the 19/2/1987 FS deliberated anch' it in favor of the solution of the suspended bridge. This general result will be confirmed then from ulterior studies lead within the end of the decade from FS, Higher council of the Jobs Publics and ANAS. In this period it is agreed that the bridge will have to be of aerial type, that is suspended. ===Plans of 1990s=== In the first years ' the 90 Tight Societies of Messina produce a definitive plan of principle for the Bridge, comprehensive of expense forecasts, times of execution and impact appraisal acclimatizes them. ANAS and FS later on are expressed favorably on such plan, that it comes approved of in the 1997 from the Higher council of the Jobs Publics. --> ==External links== * [[Guardian Unlimited]] "Italian MPs kill plan to bridge Sicily and mainland" [http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,1920199,00.html] * [[BBC News]] "Italy drops Sicily bridge plans" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043626.stm] * [http://www.strettodimessina.it/index-e.html Bridge design site (English version)] {{Dead link|date=March 2008}} * [[BBC News]] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4334830.stm "Sicily bridge constructor named"] * [http://www.report.rai.it/2liv.asp?s=117 Transcript] of [[RAI]] broadcast ''Report'' about the bridge. {{languageicon|it|Italian}} ==References== <references /> == Further reading == * Fabio Spadi (2001) [http://iclq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/50/2/411 "The Bridge on the Strait of Messina: 'Lowering' the Right of Innocent Passage?"] ''International and Comparative Law Quarterly'' 50: 411 ff. * Mary Spicuzza (2004) [http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/sicily0404/intro.html "Sicily: A Bridge Too Far?"] PBS Frontline/World Fellows. * "From Rome to Sicily: Plane or Train?" [http://travelqa.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/sicily/ Expert Travel Advice, The New York Times, Feb. 7, 2008] The New York Times. {{coor title dms|38|14|51|N|15|38|21|E|region:IT_type:landmark_scale:50000}} [[Category:Bridges in Italy]] [[Category:Suspension bridges]] [[Category:Geography of Sicily]] [[Category:Planned or proposed bridges]] [[Category:Messina]] [[de:Brücke über die Straße von Messina]] [[es:Puente del estrecho de Mesina]] [[fr:Pont de Messine]] [[id:Jembatan Selat Messina]] [[it:Ponte sullo Stretto di Messina]] [[nl:Ponte di Messina]] [[ja:メッシーナ海峡大橋]] [[scn:Ponti di Missina]] [[sv:Messinabron]]