Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina, taken June 2002. Image courtesy of NASA.
The Strait of Messina is the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Italy. A natural whirlpool forms there, which has been inaccurately linked to the legend of Charybdis.
In 1957 a 220kV-overhead powerline was built across the strait of Messina. Its pylons belong to the highest pylons of the world. This powerline was meanwhile replaced by an underwater cable, but the pylons are still there because they are under monumental protection.
Every five or ten years, major debates have ensued in Italy about building a bridge that would connect the island of Sicily to the mainland. In recent years advances in technologies have made the construction of the bridge possible. A bridge has been planned and designed. When built, the Strait of Messina Bridge will be the largest single span bridge in the world, with a span of 3,300 m (about 2 miles). The current design is scheduled to start work in 2005 and completing the bridge in six years, at a projected cost of 4.6 billion euro (about 5 billion dollars).
External link
Bridge design site (English version) (http://www.strettodimessina.it/inglese.html)
The Strait of Messina Bridge is a planned suspension bridge that will cross the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip...
The Strait of Messina (Strittu di Missina in sicilian) is the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria
Strait of Messina, body of water, separating mainland Italy from the island of Sicily and connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea.
Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, (after Palermo and Catania), and the capital of the province of Messina.
Messina's natural harbor, its position on the Strait of Messina, which here is just 3km wide, and its proximity to the mainland, are factors which have determined its history from the earliest times.
The nearest airport to Messina is on the Italian mainland at Reggio di Calabria.
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