Italy’s cabinet on 6 August gave final approval for a €13.5 billion project to build a suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, linking Sicily with the mainland region of Calabria. The structure, at 3.3 kilometres, would become the longest suspension bridge in the world and is designed to carry six traffic lanes and two rail tracks. Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said preparatory works and land expropriations could begin as early as September, with full construction slated for completion in 2032. The bridge will rest on two 400-metre towers and is engineered to withstand high winds and seismic activity in the tectonically active strait. The decision revives a scheme first proposed more than half a century ago and repeatedly cancelled for financial or political reasons, most recently after the euro-area debt crisis. A consortium led by Italian builder Webuild, selected in 2006, remains the main contractor on the resurrected plan. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government intends to count the spending toward Italy’s pledge to raise defence outlays to 5% of GDP, arguing the bridge will improve military mobility between NATO bases in southern Italy. Economists and environmental groups question both the fiscal prudence and strategic rationale, warning the project could divert funds from more pressing infrastructure and defence needs.