“Laying the first stone? Next year»- Corriere.it

«Hopefully next year (2024, ed) we will witness the laying of the first stone of the bridge over the Strait. Something is moving, but something important. It would be the longest bridge on earth, but I trust the progress of science to ensure that this work is safe”. To say it is the president of the Sicily Region, Renato Schifani, guest on Sky Tg 24. On the day in which the process in the Senate of the legislative decree on the restart of the construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina began, Schifani recalled how « the decree resurrected an old contract, otherwise the new tender had to be launched and started very late. The firm waives the damages requested at Monti’s time and returns to the revised tender, there is the price review institute, it happens that prices can be revised in a normal tender, let alone this one which recovers after ten years. I don’t find anything strange about it, it’s right to be rigorous in costs and not play low and then have to stop due to lack of coverage. In the face of works of this kind, rigor is due». Meanwhile, the provision, rapporteur Antonino Germanà (Lega), was incardinated in the Environment and Public Works commission of Palazzo Madama. The deadline for amendments has been set for next Monday, May 22, at 12 noon.

The cost of the work

On the costs of the project, Schifani added: «I think we will be around 15-16 billion, the revaluation is in the logic of things. The conflict in Ukraine has led to a substantial increase in the cost of raw materials, the increase is also due to this unforeseeable fact. I think we should reach around 15 billion, but we won’t count the servant, the work must be done by finding adequate extra-national coverage». According to estimates in the Economic and Financial Document, the work will require 14.6 billion euros, of which 13.5 for the bridge and 1.1 for the railway works. The Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Edoardo Rixi, explained that the overall cost of the work is set “within the maximum limit” of the amount indicated in the Def, but the recalculation of the price is made “excluding the financial charges functional to the remuneration of the capital contributed by the ‘private investor’ and the ‘functional charges for adapting the executive project’ to the requirements established by the decree, such as the legislation on safety or environmental compatibility.

Voting in Parliament

With 206 votes in favour, 124 against and 5 abstentions, on Tuesday 16 May, the Chamber gave confidence to the government placed on the decree law for the construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina. The final vote on the measure is expected today (Wednesday 17 May), which will then go on to be examined by the Senate. The decree revises the structure and governance of Stretto di Messina spa, entrusting the majority stake (51%) to the Ministry of Economy and Finance which exercises the rights of the shareholder in agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport . The remaining share of the capital is attributed to Rfi, Anas and the regions of Sicily and Calabria. The Board of Directors will be made up of five members: two appointed by the MEF in agreement with the MIT, who respectively hold the position of chairman and chief executive officer; one designated by the Calabria Region; one designated by the Region of Sicily; one designated jointly by Rfi and Anas.