we will do it with the steel of Ilva-Corriere.it

To date, there are no covers for the bridge over the Strait of Messina, even if the government assures that they will be found with the Budget law, but there are already plans to finance an advertising campaign with 7 million euros. this is the object of the amendment presented in the Infrastructure Committee in the Chamber by the deputies Francesco Battistoni of Forza Italia and Domenico Furgiuele of the League. The proposal, as reported Republicprovides for the allocation of one million euros per year from 2024 to 2030 for communication campaigns that must be agreed upon by the concessionaire and the metropolitan cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria.

The resource node

As regards the financing of the work, the Minister for European Affairs, Raffaele Fitto, speaking at a CNA conference on Southern Italy, recently declared: We are in the initial phase, the government has taken over this file, Minister Salvini is leading this path and clearly the resources will also be identified. According to what was communicated by MIT sources in April, Brussels would be ready to cover 50% of the costs for updating the studies on the environmental impact of the work, a workhorse of the right for years.

The cost of the work

The costs, compared to an initial estimate of 10 billion, have already risen to 13.5 billion, according to estimates in an annex to the Def. According to the document, to date there are no financial guarantees available under current legislation; therefore, these will have to be identified when defining the budget bill. The annex also explains that the cost of the work covered by the concession from the updates carried out is 13.5 billion. The complementary works and optimization of the railway connections, on the Sicily and Calabria sides, which will have to be the subject of the program contract with Rfi, are estimated to cost 1.1 billion.

Salvini: bridge with the steel of the former Ilva

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, also returned to talk about the bridge over the Strait, in an interview with The Gazette of the South. The stable connection between Calabria and Sicily which will be fundamental for the whole South, for Italy and for Europe, says Salvini. According to the minister, the steel of the former Ilva can be used for the construction of the infrastructure. The work, according to the deputy prime minister, would guarantee years of full orders for the steelworks. The investments are conspicuous – he adds – and I am constantly in contact with local administrators of all political colors.