The project to build a bridge across
the Strait of Messina linking Sicily to Calabria in mainland
Italy has been "a dream of millions of Italians for centuries",
Deputy Premier and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo
Salvini told the foreign press corps in Rome on Tuesday.
"In five months of government we have reactivated what has been
a dream of millions of Italians for centuries, there are
historical quotes from centuries and centuries ago about the
bridge," said Salvini.
The project aims to be "the largest public work on the European
continent and the largest green public work on the European
continent since the beginning of the century," he added.
Salvini also told foreign reporters he is "not afraid" of
criminal infiltration, one of the principal objections to the
project, along with environmental impact and the 10 billion euro
price tag.
"We have the antibodies, and we will be able to ensure that the
best Italian, European and world companies work on it," Salvini
said.
"We are working on supervisory bodies for every euro invested in
the Bridge," he added.
The construction project will also create an estimated 100,000
jobs, Salvini said.
On March 16, the government approved a decree to re-start the
project, which has been under consideration by several past
governments but never got beyond the planning stage.
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