A bridge project across the Strait of Messina will be presented at the 100+ Forum Russia

Diego Lo Presti, a professor at the University of Pisa, and Francesco MORELLI, a researcher at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering at the University of Pisa, will hold a thematic session on the work on the bridge project across the Strait of Messina at the 100+ Forum Russia. Using his example, experts will discuss general issues of the construction of large-span suspension bridges, consider the characteristics of the bridge across the Strait of Messina from a structural point of view and other aspects.

Professor Diego Lo Presti will talk about the soil structure and geotechnical features of the design of the suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina and the main difficulties encountered in the design and construction of bridges.

The length of the central span of the bridge will be 3,300 meters, despite the fact that it will be located in one of the most seismically dangerous areas where atmospheric and marine conditions are particularly unfavorable. The depth of the bases of the bridge pillars on both sides of the strait will reach 16 meters, and the use of jet cementation technology is planned. The base depth of the anchor supports will be about 50 meters.

The idea of building a bridge across the Strait of Messina has been around for decades. In 1969, a national project competition was held (about 150 works were considered). Several solutions were proposed: an underground tunnel, an underwater tunnel, a two-span suspension bridge, and others. The final draft was approved only in 2010. After the construction is completed, the bridge connecting the mainland to the island will become the longest suspension bridge in the world. It is planned to have three lanes of highway on each side and two railway tracks. According to the project, the bridge has four pillars (two on each side) with a height of 382.6 m. According to calculations, the bridge should withstand earthquakes up to 7.1 magnitude and wind speeds of 216 km/h.

Six thematic events dedicated to the development of bridge construction will be held at the forum in October. Russian and foreign experts will share their experience in the design, construction and monitoring of bridge structures. The program includes reports on the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait, the condition of the bridge on Russian Island, and the reconstruction project of the Makarovsky Bridge in Yekaterinburg. For more information, see the "Program" section.