jpatokal
28-07-04, 11:37 AM
The Messina Bridge, mentioned on today's front page, would be an engineering marvel if completed: 3,290 m is more than 50% longer than the current top contender, Japan's Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge at 1,990 meters. However, it's being built directly on top of an earthquake fault and connects only to the poor and sparsely populated island of Sicily, meaning that the immense costs will never be paid back. Akashi-Kaikyo has been suffering from major financial problems despite a toll of US$15 and linking to the comparatively much bigger island of Shikoku; of recent megabridges, only Denmark's Great Belt (which links Scandinavia to the European mainland) has matched expectations.
Some links:
http://www.strettodimessina.it/inglese.html (official page)
http://bridgepros.com/projects/Strait_of_Messina_Bridge/ (out of date)
Some links:
http://www.strettodimessina.it/inglese.html (official page)
http://bridgepros.com/projects/Strait_of_Messina_Bridge/ (out of date)