This week, Italy gave final approval to a long-delayed plan to construct the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting the mainland to Sicily in a project worth $15.5 billion.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini hailed the Strait of Messina Bridge as “the biggest infrastructure project in the West” after a key government committee cleared the path on Wednesday. He said the project would generate 120,000 jobs annually and revitalize southern Italy through wider investment in infrastructure.

However, over the weekend 10,000 protestors assembled in Sicily to picket against the major project.

“The Strait of Messina can’t be touched,” protesters shouted as they marched in Messina, a harbor city in northeast Sicily.

Many carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge).

A study indicates roughly 500 families would have to vacate their homes to clear the way for the project.

The government has promised compensation, though exact figures have not yet been released.

Critics are also concerned about earthquakes and possible corruption.

When completed, the new bridge would be 12,000 feet long, with two 1,300-foot towers — one on the Sicilian side and one on the Calabrian side.

It will feature three traffic lanes in each direction and two double-track railway lines, carrying 6,000 cars per hour and 200 trains per day.

 

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