The debate on the bridge over the Strait was turned on even before the work sees the light. On the occasion of an official visit to Messina and Villa San Giovanni, Minister Matteo Salvini provided a toll estimate for cars between 4 and 7 euros, claiming that it would be a lower figure than the current cost of the maritime crossing.
The close company of Messina has confirmed the forecast, presenting it as an amount capable of guaranteeing the coverage of management and maintenance costs, ordinary and extraordinary, of the infrastructure. But not everyone is from the same opinion.
Toll on the strait, the disputes of university experts
The version provided by the company, however, ended up in the sights of two academics: Domenico Gattuso, teacher of planning and transport engineering at the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, and Guido Signorino, professor of economics applied at the University of Messina, members of the “instead of the bridge” committee.
According to the two professors, what was officially communicated evidently, evidently from what is reported in the final project and the related economic assessments, creating a picture very different from that spread to the public.
What does the official project includes
In chapter 8 of the project report, dedicated to the scenario scheduled for 2032, a hypothesis of “bridge cost equal to that of the ferry” is indicated. So, for a car the toll would correspond to the average price of the crossing by sea. At a first reading, the attached table seems to propose more contained figures, but this occurs only because the values refer to a single travel direction.
According to the calculations of the experts, the actual figures would be in line with those applied today by the Caronte & Tourist: 38.90 euros per round trip, 44.40 euros to return within three days and 71.40 euros for a return within 90 days. So far the 10 euros feared by Minister Salvini.
The node of the comparison with the motorways
For the two authors, the close company of Messina would be disseminating misleading information to support a certain political narrative. They recall that, in Italy, the motorway toll is calculated according to the kilometers traveled and that in 2024 the average cost ranged from 0.075 and 0.089 euros per kilometer.
Making a quick calculation: with a minimum rate of 19.1 euros on just 4 kilometers, the price would reach around 4.8 euros per kilometer, almost sixty times higher than the most expensive motorway section in the country.
Codacons’ estimates and world record
For Codacons, fixing a toll of about 10 euros would mean transforming the bridge over the narrow into the most expensive crossing to the world. The association has made two accounts regarding the toll on the bridge: to travel the 3.66 km of the bridge you would reach an average of 2.73 euros per kilometer, while on Italian motorways the average cost is just 0.075 euros.
To give an idea, the Eurotunnel between France and the United Kingdom costs 72 euros for just over 50 km, equal to 1.42 euros per kilometer. In percentage terms, the difference compared to national motorway rates would be over 3,500%.
The position of the government
According to the government, even assuming a toll of 10 euros, the cost would still be less than the current one of the ferries, which starts from about 45 euros and in some cases exceeds 70. It is also pointed out, almost as a favor, that crossing the Alpine tanks of Mount Bianco or Fréjus costs over 50 euros, with a price greater than 4 euros per kilometer.
For the residents of Sicily and Calabria there would be a discount, even if it is not yet clear to how much it will amount. Territorial continuity in Italy, however, often remains more a press conference topic, given that discounts are not always very favorable.
