Bonelli criticizes lack of earthquake and wind tests for a bridge. Company denies, claims approval.

Last Updated: March 14, 2024

Endless controversies surround the Strait of Messina Bridge. During the question time in the Chamber of Deputies where Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini communicated that the report on the Bridge had been delivered to Parliament, Avs leader Angelo Bonelli attacked by stating that no seismic or wind tests were conducted for the Bridge project and that Eurolink Consortium replied that they were not done to avoid wasting time. The response came from the Strait of Messina Company, which invited the parliamentarian to read the conclusions approving the project. The deputy referred to page 47 of the technical-scientific report of the committee evaluating the project, challenging the construction of the Bridge in the most seismic area of Italy without conducting these tests. Salvini attempted to respond to Bonelli during the question time but was stopped by the Vice President of the Chamber, Fabio Rampelli, for not following parliamentary rules. The opposition benches protested while Salvini reiterated the need to respect regulations. The CEO of the Strait of Messina Company, Pietro Ciucci, later responded to Bonelli, highlighting the positive opinion expressed by the Scientific Committee on the updated project. Ciucci explained that further recommendations and studies will be conducted during the development of the executive project. The seismic potential of the area was deemed incapable of producing earthquakes higher than the design magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale. Wind tests were also conducted in various wind tunnels around the world, ensuring the stability of the bridge in wind gusts exceeding 275 km/h, a speed expected once every 2000 years in the Strait. The company emphasized the thorough analytical and experimental verifications conducted to guarantee the stability of the Bridge.