00:00Do you know why there's still no bridge between Sicily and mainland Italy?
00:04Sicily is home to around 5 million people,
00:06and it's separated from the rest of the country by only 3 kilometers across the Strait of Messina.
00:10Not that much, compared to other projects that have already been built.
00:14But this place is far more complicated,
00:16and it's not just about geography, but also about the Mafia.
00:19The region is indeed extremely seismically active.
00:22Right here lies the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates,
00:26which constantly push against each other, causing frequent earthquakes.
00:30That's why in 1908, this area experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes in European history,
00:35with a magnitude of 7.2 that took around 80,000 lives.
00:39Moreover, this narrow place is where two seas meet,
00:42causing winds to reach up to 100 kilometers per hour.
00:45Despite all this, building a bridge is still possible.
00:48There's even a completed design that takes into account all the geographic challenges.
00:52The span would be more than 3 kilometers,
00:55making it the longest suspension bridge in the world, and also the most expensive.
00:59It's estimated to cost around 15 billion euros.
01:03Opponents argue that these billions would be better spent on social programs,
01:06while supporters believe that the bridge would unite the country
01:09and give a huge boost to the southern economy.
01:11As a result, the project has been launched and frozen many times,
01:14each time with massive sums of money allocated.
01:17And this, perhaps, is where the real reason lies.
01:19Corruption within the government and the influence of the Sicilian Mafia,
01:23which controls much of the construction industry
01:25and has an interest in keeping the project unfinished.
01:28Because as long as it's in progress, the money keeps flowing.
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