# Bridge proposed between Italy and Sicily **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2024, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538 "2024-11-01T10:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/41 "2024-11-01T20:32:01Z")
Having watched Italian engineering projects firsthand, I would like to see them move forward with this, however rationally unjustifiable it might be, solely for the entertainment value of watching them approve the project with a ten year timeline, followed by nine and a half years arguing the details, and then building the whole thing in a six-month tornado of activity. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/42 "2024-11-01T20:32:07Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > That strait has notoriously bad weather, earthquakes, etc. > **Scylla and Charybdis** , in [Greek mythology](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology), two immortal and irresistible monsters who beset the narrow waters [traversed](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traversed) by the hero [Odysseus](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odysseus) in his wanderings described in [Homer](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet)’s [_Odyssey_](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odyssey-epic-by-Homer), Book XII. They were later localized in the [Strait of Messina](https://www.britannica.com/place/Strait-of-Messina). - [SOURCE](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scylla-and-Charybdis) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/43 "2024-11-01T20:35:15Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > a serious achilles heel Very good! Talking about mythology I should have thought of that, darn it! Oh! And finally someone else mentions Scylla and Charybdis. About time too, after 42 posts! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/44 "2024-11-01T20:39:47Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Oh! And finally someone else mentions Scylla and Charybdis. About time too, after 42 posts! I am amazed it didn’t happen sooner too. And of course those are not real but the ancients conjured them because they noted how dangerous those waters were compared to, basically, anywhere else. That suggests building a bridge there is not a simple thing even if it seems an obvious location for one. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/45 "2024-11-01T20:44:16Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I should have added that while it is probably something that could be built it would be pushing the boundaries of bridge engineering in several respects and that means very expensive. I think the engineering is less challenging if they drop the idea of one long suspension bridge but instead add piers in the strait. Though upthread someone says the strait is 250 meters deep. Is that too deep to anchor a pier? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/46 "2024-11-01T21:01:09Z")
If you take into account the strong currents that build up there (look at the map: the currents funnel from the north and the south, whichever way the wind blows) and the propensity for the ground to shake, it may not be too deep, but I reiterate my advice: Don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/47 "2024-11-01T21:05:59Z")
I think the engineering ability exists to make such a bridge. The issue is cost. Would it be worth building? It’d be a very expensive project and, as much as I love bridges, this is probably a bridge too far. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/48 "2024-11-01T21:21:18Z")
Yeah, in a similar vein people are fascinated by the idea of bridging the Bering Strait– except it would be a bridge linking two barren wildernesses thousands of miles away from anywhere worth going to or hauling freight between. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/49 "2024-11-01T21:33:12Z")
Incidentally, the Wikipedia article on the proposed Strait of Messina Bridge includes a link to another proposed project; the [Strait of Sicily Tunnel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Sicily_Tunnel), which would link Sicily and Tunisia. There is also talk of a bridge or tunnel at the Strait of Gibraltar. And I get that this proposed bridge may not be a good idea. But it also bothers me that the United States doesn’t seem to build things like it any longer. In the earlier part of the twentieth century, things like the Golden Gate Bridge or the George Washington Bridge were constructed. There seems to be less of that lately, except for replacement bridges like the one that replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/50 "2024-11-01T21:40:51Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > And finally someone else mentions Scylla and Charybdis. This isn’t the thread about pretentious rock lyrics! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/51 "2024-11-01T21:43:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And I get that this proposed bridge may not be a good idea. But it also bothers me that the United States doesn’t seem to build things like it any longer. In the earlier part of the twentieth century, things like the Golden Gate Bridge or the George Washington Bridge were constructed. There seems to be less of that lately, except for replacement bridges like the one that replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge. Our analogue in the States would be a bridge across Puget Sound. Impractible for basically the same reasons: in an earthquake prone zone, all possible locations a bit too wide and deep to be workable, traffic between the two sides may prove to be underwhelming and not worth the expense. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/52 "2024-11-01T21:46:49Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > this is probably a bridge too far. I can’t decide if I should applaud or boo this. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/53 "2024-11-03T16:36:10Z")
Split this topic on November 3, 2024, 4:36pm UTC 22 posts were split to a new topic: [Big infrastructure projects (spin off from Sicilian bridge thread)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-infrastructure-projects-spin-off-from-sicilian-bridge-thread/1009616) ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/54 "2024-11-01T21:55:59Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > the Mafia is still very active in Sicily and southern Calabria and there’s definite concern that organized crime may find a way to sabotage/milk money off the project. The Mafia has some “traditional connections” to various longshoremen’s unions - having a major Sicilian port of their very own might seem attractive…perhaps they could be encouraged to fund the project, rather than milk it. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/59 "2024-11-01T22:05:27Z")
I see the thread you are coming [from](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-rock-lyrics/1009504/5). I love those coincidences. You win by 24 hours! ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/60 "2024-11-01T22:10:44Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Plunging to my death from a collapsed bridge doesn’t bother me nearly as much as being crushed to death in a tunnel by tons of collapsed cement and water. I think it is the feeling of being trapped in a confined space surrounded by death. The thought of being in a submarine makes me feel the same way. Good news! There’s very little cement involved in submarine construction. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/62 "2024-11-01T22:29:26Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > There’s very little cement involved in submarine construction. Then what are the screen doors attached to? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/64 "2024-11-01T23:51:09Z")
The lanes on the older span are rather narrow. I’ve driven it at 5AM in a pouring rain and it can be scary. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/65 "2024-11-02T01:10:40Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > As to whether it’s a good idea, probably? Ease of movement will likely boost the Sicilian economy, and I’ve been told (though I’m not 100% sure) that in the long run such large bridges do usually pay for themselves by removing transportation delays and upkeep on ferries and ports. Not to mention tolls paid by vehicles driving over it. We’ve driven over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel numerous times. 17 miles, approximately. Most of it is more “causeway” height (30sh feet above the water). I don’t know if that would be feasible on a Sicily-to-mainland bridge. Also, the CBBT has, well, tunnel sections as otherwise it would completely block off shipping traffic to the port in Baltimore. No clue whether that would be feasible or desirable for the proposed bridge. I think all in all, it would depend on what kind of traffic volume they think would take advantage of such a bridge, to decide whether it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538/66 "2024-11-02T01:40:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think the engineering is less challenging if they drop the idea of one long suspension bridge but instead add piers in the strait. > > Though upthread someone says the strait is 250 meters deep. Is that too deep to anchor a pier? 250m is far too deep for a causeway. It’s suspension with the two towers on dry land / just barely into the water or nothing. The photo in post 38 shows two red & white towers that used to support an overhead high tension power line. Which line is now replaced by something underground with greater capacity, but the towers still stand as a monument. That’s about where the suspension bridge towers would be, but they’d be half again to double as tall and vastly thicker & stouter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bridge-proposed-between-italy-and-sicily/1009538.md?page=4)