Bridge on the Strait, Salini: “Ready starting at the end of April”

Webuild is ready to start for the construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina. He is the CEO of the group, Pietro Salini, To talk about it to financial analysts, during the presentation of the record results achieved last year. The approval process is “almost in the end and we are waiting for the Cipess final decision to start by the end of April”, says Salini. The duration of the Design & Construction phase is estimated in 7 and a half years and the completion is scheduled for 2032. “I hope to be there and to be able to cross it together with the whole team by the end of 2032”, jokes the CEO of Webuild, rebiving that “we are ready, as well as all industrial partners, to start with pride this very important project for Italy and especially for the South”. The investment currently estimated for the construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina, of the 40 kilometers of road and railway connections, of the three new railway stations and the directional center in Calabria is 13.5 billion euros. The amount will be defined by the Cipess with the approval of the financial plan. The project involves the construction of the longest suspended bridge in the world, with a total length of 3,666 meters and a suspended span of 3,300 meters. The bridge has a height greater than 72 meters above sea level for a width of 600 meters in the center of the Strait. It is a national industrial project, according to Salini, who can give work and opportunities for the future to “thousands of young people” and will allow to connect “five million people with the rest of Europe”. At the appointment with the bridge, webuild is presence with a “strengthened business model”. The group, in fact, filed 2024 with results that overcoming the scheduled targets. The revenues recorded a double -digit growth for 12 billion euros, an increase of +20% on 2023 and compared to a guidance that foreshadow them over 11 billion. The net profit stands at 247 million, growing compared to the 236 million of the previous year. The gross operating margin (Ebitda) stands at 967 million, up 18% and well beyond forecasts. These numbers are not an “isolated event. They are the result of a clear and coherent strategy that we have pursued since 2012 », underlines Salini. The general manager, Massimo Ferrari, also highlighted how “liquidity remains solid, exceeding 4 billion euros. Our net of the net of the net stood at 1.45 billion euros, far exceeding expectations “