Italy's government on Wednesday approved a 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland.

Axar.az informs, citing France 24, after decades of planning – and considerable controversy – a ministerial committee gave the green light to the state-funded bridge over the Strait of Messina, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini announced.

"It will be the longest single-span bridge in the world" and would act as a "development accelerator" for the impoverished regions on either side, namely the island of Sicily and the southern Italian region of Calabria, he said during a press conference.

The bridge has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3 kilometres (2.05 miles) – a world record – stretching between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers.

Due for completion by 2032, the government says the bridge is a the cutting edge of engineering, able to withstand high winds and earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates.

Ministers hope it will bring economic growth and jobs, with Salvini – who is also deputy prime minister – promising the project will create tens of thousands of jobs.

Yet it has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere.