Italy says to start building bridge to Sicily

Italy's Infrastructure Ministry said on Friday it has asked the head of the company in charge of a long-delayed project to build a bridge to Sicily over the Strait of Messina to start construction work soon.

Infrastructure Minister Altero Matteoli wrote to the head of the Messina Strait company, Pietro Ciucci, saying it was an urgent priority "to create conditions for the resumption of the construction of the project as soon as possible".

Italian firm Impregilo won the contract for the construction of the bridge in 2006, in the last government of Silvio Berlusconi, who set up the "Societa Stretto di Messina SpA" presided by Ciucci to run the project back in 2003. The project was then shelved by the centre-left government of Romano Prodi, which lasted 20 months, and quickly revived by Berlusconi when he won a third term as premier in April.

Prodi described the project as "not a priority". Impregilo's shares were boosted by the election victory of Berlusconi, who during the campaign had promised a host of big infrastructure projects.

Plans for a road bridge over the Strait of Messina have come and gone repeatedly since the 19th century and, according to some history books, even since ancient Roman times.