Complaints to the judiciary against the Messina Strait Bridge project are increasing. All of them aim to stop or otherwise slow down the authorization procedure and expropriations necessary for the opening of construction sites, which the government had announced for the summer. In Torre Faro, in the area north of Messina, nearly 250 houses, two restaurants, a beach kiosk, a residence with a swimming pool, a bakery, a butcher's shop, a motel, and the Strait campground are scheduled to be demolished. Much of the built-up area will also be torn up by construction sites to build one of the two 399-meter-high towers, consisting of two pylons connected by three large horizontal beams. The project will also expropriate many other areas closer to the city of Messina, mostly land where bridge-related works such as the city's new railway line and subway will be built. In Villa San Giovanni, north of Reggio Calabria, about 150 houses and lands are to be expropriated. In total, the bridge and construction sites will occupy an area of 3.7 square kilometers, 2.1 in Sicily and 1.7 in Calabria. A very tough legal battle is expected.
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