A bridge too far?
The Italians have decided that they want to bridge the Strait of Messina, that which separates Sicily from the mainland.
In contrast to the rather half-baked (1/8th baked would be nearer the mark) Channel Tunnel, Rome seems intent on doing things in style:
"The 3,690-metre-long bridge has been designed to be able to handle 4,500 cars an hour and 200 trains a day."
And how much? A mere bagatelle at €6.5 bn. The Chunnel cost £10.1 bn in 2007 money, but that was an 80% cost over run, so do not expect the final bill to bear much resemblance to €6.5 bn....
Still, it is quite amusing to think that one could visit all of the Norman conquests - bar Malta, and the Isle of Wight etc - without getting one's feet wet.
In contrast to the rather half-baked (1/8th baked would be nearer the mark) Channel Tunnel, Rome seems intent on doing things in style:
"The 3,690-metre-long bridge has been designed to be able to handle 4,500 cars an hour and 200 trains a day."
And how much? A mere bagatelle at €6.5 bn. The Chunnel cost £10.1 bn in 2007 money, but that was an 80% cost over run, so do not expect the final bill to bear much resemblance to €6.5 bn....
Still, it is quite amusing to think that one could visit all of the Norman conquests - bar Malta, and the Isle of Wight etc - without getting one's feet wet.
Labels: Italy, Where your money goes
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on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 10:44 am.
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It's a bit earthquaky around there. The Millenium Bridge shivers would be as nothing to a tectonic plate slipping across another to ease the underlying tensions.
Still, I'd rather bridge the straits of Messina than spend n times as much buying privatised council maisonettes in Easington; at least Mr Berlusconi put it in his manifesto, on which he was resoundingly elected, that he intended to do public works. Labour offered me Blair not Brown, and never mentioned I had to make a contribution to the support of the North East client state.
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