Professor Luca Martinelli of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, interviewed by Corriere Adriatico, explains the hypothesis of immersed tunnel for long crossings and that of the Messina Strait.

As Martinelli explains, « The immersed tunnel is a typology of crossing in which one or more crossbars are located at 30-40 metres under the medium level of water […]. The construction is modular and it’s obtained  by setting up in situ sections that are several tens of metres long […], prefabricated on land. Suddenly they are floated to the building area where they are linked together».

After a long time of studies and research, the hypothesis of the immersed tunnel seems to be way more than corroborated since its characteristics are perfectly in line with the construction of this kind of works. In fact, this type of tunnel «is the solution of the future as far as long-distance crossings at medium depths are concerned»; moreover «the modest depth to which it is placed leads to minimize the costs of realization of the access ramps».

For deepening on this topic, read the complete interview here.