“We are here for another tour of the horizon, we will be present constantly, in Messina, as well as in Villa and Reggio Calabria”. Pietro Ciucci returns from the Strait, for a series of meetings with the mayors, institutions, committees for public order and the orders of engineers, in view of the start of what defines a “difficult but exciting” adventure: the beginning of the construction phase of the bridge and all the connected works.
The time schedule has already been set, but will only be able to start after the opinion of the Court of Auditors and the publication in the Official Gazette of the resolution approved by the Cipess on 6 August. The accounting judiciary is already at work to examine the powerful documentation attached to the provision of the Interministerial Committee and will certainly be committed for a few weeks. It is reasonable to provide – and this pacifiers confirms it – some requests for clarifications and additions, as usually happens in the case of such complex and articulated resolutions.
“Indicating a date seems to me to be inelegant – says Ciucci, visiting the Gazzetta, after the meeting with the Viciesindaco Mondello at Palazzo Zanca -, we are not pressing on the Court of Auditors, perhaps others do it, considering it a sort of” court “that can enter the merits of the design aspects and block the work. The Court has a fundamental task, to ascertain the legitimacy of all the documents produced and attached to the Cipess resolution, starting from the economic plan and the full financial coverage of the works. And that’s what will happen. We are convinced that we have presented, in addition to an absolutely feasible project, acts compliant with respect for national and community standards “. The CEO of the “Strait” believes that the publication in the Official Gazette can take place, however, by the end of October. Immediately afterwards the executive phase will be started.
Ciucci explained it several times and also reiterated it yesterday: “After the publication in the Official Gazette, the first construction sites will start for the early works: roads, basic fields, construction site tracks, water supply, the remediation of land with war devices, environmental monitoring, archaeological investigations and, above all, the compensatory interventions required by the Municipalities. For Messina we will start immediately with the works requested by the mayor Basile and the city council ». The chronoprogram of the works includes three phases: road and railway connections since May 2026; Galleries and new stations from September 2026; Crossing structure since 2027: completion of all the works by 2032. «It was I who imposed the fact that the works of the real bridge start after the other interventions. The project is unitary but will be carried out by construction phases, as required by law, and this will allow the graduality of the interventions and the same expropriation procedures “.
This is the most delicate point, according to Ciucci, because the expropriations directly touch people: “The declaration of public utility will start a gradual and collaboration procedure, with protocols signed with the municipalities, Eurolink and trade associations, favoring good -natured agreements for the allowances”.
The “narrow” will inaugurate the new locations within a few weeks, in Villa San Giovanni (in a property confiscated from the ‘Ndrangheta) EA Messina, where it will find space in the large rooms of the Autostrade Consortium, to the “Scoppo”. “We will have the works management, we will be present with technicians and designers, we will make international selections but one of our goals is to use professionals and workers of Sicily and Calabria, bringing back many” brains on the run “”.
Recall that the state company, administered by Ciucci, between 1 and 6 August, signed the additional documents to contracts with the Eurolink Consortium, led by Webuild (10.5 billion), with the American Parsons for the “Project Management” (306 million), with the Edison Next (43.5 million) and with the Marsh for insurance covers. The agreements will come into force with the effectiveness of the Cipess resolution and with the renunciation of all pending disputes. A 650 million and penaltime deposit has been foreseen up to over one million a day for any defaults by companies. And on the future tolls of the bridge, Ciucci confirms the prices indicated in recent days: between 4 and 7 euros for cars per section, “values lower than the current ferry costs, capable of guaranteeing economic-financial balance and territorial continuity. I get a little laughing in reading some reactions. If we practice too low prices, they attack us, if we had done the opposite, they would have attacked us equally. I have heard absurd interpretations by some economist in evident bad faith. But we go on ».
Also on the alleged “military strategy” of the work, on which, after the declarations of the US ambassador, the “Strait” was discussed, reiterates its point of view: “Like all the greatest infrastructures, the bridge can be designed as a” dual use “work, which can be used for civil and also military or civil protection purposes, in accordance with NATO standards and EU for civil and military mobility, inserted in the Ten-T network. It has been said “NATO will no longer finance the bridge”. And it is not news, because the bridge in any case already has the entire financial coverage. The possibility of making him return to the defense costs had been assessed, but basically nothing changes. And the same goes for Europe, when it is said that the EU will not finance the bridge.
In fact, a European co -financing of 25 million euros has already been obtained for railway design. The Union, with the decision of the Commission and the Vote of the European Parliament, considers the bridge over the Strait of Messina among the strategic works of the Scandinavo-Mediterranean corridor ».
Returning to the dates, the continuous announcements of Minister Salvini have so far had a “boomerang” effect. «Maybe sometimes yes, but I, who I am a technician and I have never had particular closeness to the political positions of the League, I believe that Salvini is one of the best transport ministers of the last decades, and I have seen many during my long career. It is always on the piece, determined, ready to also accommodate objections from those who think differently. Indicate dates, in such a complex procedure, can sometimes be a gamble. What matters is that when we start with the construction sites, there the times will have to be strictly respected, without alibis for us and for no one else ».
On the prevention front against the possible infiltrations of Mafie and ‘Ndragheta, Ciucci announces the stipulation, in the next few days, of the protocol of legality, of which it was discussed yesterday, in the comparison with the Prefect Cosima di Stani, with the commissioner Annino Gargano and with the other representatives of the police. “In this respect – reiterates the CEO of the” Strait ” – the bridge will be the most monitored work in the world. And it is right to be so ».