Plan to build world’s longest suspension bridge finally signed off after 2,000 years

The world's longest suspension bridge could be coming to fruition - a plan that's been more than 2,000 years in the making.

The project is set to cost a staggering $15.7 billion and will connect two popular holiday destinations that Americans and Brits frequent often, and it is hoped its construction will tackle organized crime in the area.

The plan, which has finally been signed off, will see the bridge stretch 2.05 miles over Messina Strait, the body of water separating Sicily from mainland Italy, with two 1,300-foot high towers holding it up.

Dubbed the 'Messina Bridge', it will include two railway lines in the middle of the structure and three lanes of traffic on either side of it - with completion earmarked for between 2032 and 2033.

Researchers aim to use technology so that the bridge could withstand earthquakes - with its location being on top of one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean.

The world's longest suspension bridge will connect Sicily with mainland Italy (Stretto Di Messina)

"We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday (August 6).

However, these challenges aren't just geological - no, there's a fear in Italy that the mafia could interfere with plans as has happened previously.

A number of Italian officials have attempted to launch the project but each time it has been scuppered due to a either the mafia's involvement, damage to the environment or due to the amount it would cost to build it.

In fact, the idea of building a bridge over the strait first floated around in 252 BC, with Consul Metellus is believed to have connected boats and barrels to transport war elephants between Sicily and mainland Italy.

A view of the Calabrian coast and the Messina Strait - where the project for the construction of the bridge is expected to go ahead (Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Well, ancient Rome would be happy to hear that these plans are now materialising.

As for the mafia's involvement, the Italian government hope that construction of a bridge between the island of Sicily and the region of Calabria will reduce the mafia's influence in the area, as it will bring about more jobs and greater economic opportunities.

Currently, the only way to cross the strait is by ferry - a journey that takes half an hour.

While the idea of a bridge is believed to have been first thought up 2,276 years ago, modern plans were drawn up more than 50 years ago.

Speaking on the Messina Bridge project, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said: "The bridge will bring work, wealth, beauty, and will save tons of CO2 in the air, making it one of the greenest bridges in the world."