The Senate Chamber approved the law authorizing the construction of the Bridge over the Strait of Messina with 103 votes in favor, 49 against, and three abstentions. "It is not the Messina Bridge, but the Italian Bridge. It is the most studied bridge in the world, the most verified bridge in the world, the most investigated and the most anticipated. It will be the world's longest single-span bridge," said Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini. "Today is a great day not only for Sicily and Calabria, but for Italy as a whole. I am proud of this new objective, we continue on the path of 'yes' with courage and common sense", he added. According to Salvini, "100,000 real jobs" will be created. It is, as the leader of the League explained, "real investments in Calabria and Sicily, not on paper. We are speaking of 28 billion between roads, highways, and railways in Sicily, and the same amount in Calabria. It will be a revolution in social, economic, and environmental terms." However, the opposition is not persuaded. "The proposed government decree on the Strait Bridge is a powerful weapon of mass distraction, used whenever media attention needs to be diverted from something else", Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party commented. "The government has ignored even comments made during hearings in the relevant committees, according to which the current project of stable crossing on the Strait is completely unsustainable, not only from a technical and environmental standpoint, but also from an economic-financial standpoint. It is therefore evident that this is a government strategy to announce projects that will never be carried out", he concluded.
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