During visits to Messina and Villa S. Giovanni, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini stated that crossing the proposed Strait of Messina bridge would cost “only €4-7 per trip for cars.” The Messina Strait Company (SDM) reportedly supported this, calling it a “more convenient toll than the current ferry crossing,” asserting the lower fee would fully cover operational and maintenance costs while undercutting ferry prices.
However, transport planning professor Domenico Gattuso (Mediterranea University, Reggio Calabria) and applied economics professor Guido Signorino (University of Messina), writing for the “Instead of the Bridge” committee, contest these figures. They note the claim contradicts the project’s Definitive Design documents and cost-benefit analysis.
Chapter 8 of the Project Report (Scenario at Start of Operations – 2032) explicitly assumes an “iso-cost bridge-ferry” principle, meaning the car toll would match the ferry fare. The professors argue the presentation in the report is misleading: while tolls appear roughly half of ferry prices, the listed values actually represent a *single crossing* (one-way), not round-trip ferry fares. Thus, the €4-7 toll aligns directly with current one-way Caronte&Tourist ferry fares: €38.90 (same-day round trip), €44.40 (round trip within 3 days), or €71.40 (round trip within 90 days), translating to approximately €19.10 per single crossing.
“In practice, SDM spreads lies to support Salvini’s propaganda,” the academics state. They further contextualize the toll, noting Italian motorway fees are distance-proportional, with 2024 rates averaging €0.075-0.089/km. Applying the minimum proposed bridge toll of €19.10 for the 4km crossing yields a unit cost of €4.8/km – nearly 60 times higher than Italy’s most expensive national motorway toll.
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