One hundred thousand new jobs for Ponte Estreita. This assessment was made by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Matteo Salvini, who yesterday reviewed the project during a meeting at the Foreign Press Office in Rome. “They voted for us to do things, not for us to cancel them – explained Salvini – This intends to be the greatest public work on the European continent of this century, and I add green”. «In five months, in record time, we restarted a dream of millions of Italians for centuries. We intend to build it in the summer of 2024», added Salvini, recalling that the work «will cost less than a year of basic income and, unlike income, it will be something that lasts».
In addition, the bridge is “provided for by the European strategic corridors, it is compatible and required by the plans of the European Commission” and “it gives us the possibility to draw Italy’s attention to the world from an engineering point of view”. For the Deputy Prime Minister, “economically it will be one of the investments that Italy has seen with the Autostrada del Sole, in terms of innovation”.
Regarding the risk of infiltration by organized crime, the leader of the League said he was not afraid and that he was “sure that we will have the antibodies”. “There are also no concerns related to earthquakes, tides and winds,” he said again.
The minister regretted that “the Pnrr does not foresee investments in roads, bridges, airports. In my opinion, it was a short-sighted choice. In the sense that it was not a wise choice not to finance the modernization of certain types of mobility. Therefore, Pnrr funds cannot be used» for the bridge across the Straits.
The president of Action, Mara Carfagna, spoke critically about the work that will link Calabria to Sicily: “We are not against the bridge over the Strait. But today I read about a big Chinese giant interested in building the bridge across the Strait. Salvini denies that the bridge project can be entrusted to a Chinese giant. I don’t need to explain why.”
And Salvini replied: “The expressions of interest came from abroad, even from China. Our aim is for a great Italian infrastructure to be run by Italians. Those who won the European competition are the most likely to undertake this project. I would like Italian companies to be the protagonists » of this work, he added.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
