Costs climb for Messina bridge in Italy

The cost of the Strait of Messina bridge looks set to climb from original estimates. The bridge was initially expected to cost some €6.3 billion to construct. However the latest estimate from Stretto di Messina, the Italian company managing the project, suggests that it will cost €8.5 billion to construct. Stretto di Messina has blamed the cost inflation on changes to the scope of the project, which will now include an underground rail system throughout the Strait area. The bridge will connect the island of Sicily with the Italian mainland and has been planned for many years, although it has also been cancelled on grounds of cost on a number of occasions. The Italian Interdepartmental Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE) is set to approve the project in February 2012, and a tender will then be launched to raise €4 billion in funding from the financial markets. Construction work should start in June 2012 and the bridge is expected to open in 2018. The toll to cross the bridge will be set at €16 for local cars and €32 for cars from elsewhere, while trucks will pay €85 or €110 depending on size.