Abstract of the speech by Stretto di Messina’s CEO, Pietro Ciucci, at the round table meeting “Connecting the centre of the Mediterranean with the rest of Europe. Development of transport infrastructure as a vital factor in the social and economic development of the area”.
10 January 2024

“We are proceeding swiftly and diligently. Our goal is to build the Messina Strait Bridge within the timeframe required by law. At the end of January or the beginning of February, I expect to submit the designers’ report, updating the final design, to Stretto di Messina’s Board of Directors for approval. The bridge is a strategic piece of infrastructure aimed at providing road and rail continuity, whilst also providing a boost for local ports. It is a local project for the benefit of the local area, which will have a positive impact on the entire country, and unite two southern regions with a population of more than 7 million inhabitants. Within the transport network, a bridge, open to train and vehicle traffic 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, is the best way to meet demand for more efficient and modern connections between Sicily, Calabria and the rest of the European mainland. It forms a piece of the national and European transport jigsaw, and makes extension of the national and European high-speed/high-capacity rail system sustainable in Calabria and Sicily. Moreover, the project itself represents a centre of excellence and a focus for scientific research – a major research laboratory – with benefits for the Italian economy as a whole, and especially for the regions directly concerned, namely Calabria and Sicily, and their universities. A laboratory for promoting interrelations between science, technology, local areas and the market that link innovation to the development of local resources, and provide real and specific opportunities for research, training, employment and business development. In this regard, we intend to renew our collaboration with the universities of Reggio Calabria and Messina, which in 2011 was the subject of a specific training, research, and technology transfer agreement, and also covered the provision of services for the construction of the Strait of Messina Bridge.”