Procedure for Messina bridge expropriations begins

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 2 - The notice of the expropriation of land and properties for the project to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland will be published in national and local newspapers in Sicily and Calabria on Wednesday, the Stretto di Messina company said on Tuesday.
    The publication of the notice comes after the board of the Stretto di Messina company approved the update of the final version of the project and delivered it to the pertinent ministries and authorities.
    If all goes to plan, the building sites will be set up by the end of the year.
    Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has pushed strongly for the construction of what will be the world's longest suspension bridge, a project mooted by successive centre-right governments but never actually started due to environmental and seismic concerns and the significant cost.
    The bridge currently has a price tag of some 14.6 billion euro ($16.14 billion), or about one percent of Italian GDP, and is scheduled to come into use in the late 2030s. (ANSA).