Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
The funding has been secured; now it is time to move from resources to construction sites. That is the message from Luca Cannata, an MP for Fratelli d’Italia and vice-chair of the Chamber’s Budget Committee, as he again urges the Sicilian Motorway Consortium (CAS) to act on the necessary work for the Cassibile viaduct on the A18 Syracuse–Gela motorway.
At the heart of the issue are the €5.5 million included in the regional budget to finance the refurbishment and urgent repair of the infrastructure. Cannata stresses that he personally engaged with the regional leadership to help secure these funds.
“When it was necessary to find the funding, I personally engaged with the regional leadership to secure the €5.5 million allocation in the regional budget. We asked for and obtained an urgent response. Now we demand the same determination from CAS: those resources must translate into work, safety and restored traffic flow,” the MP said.
The emergency has been ongoing since January 2025 and continues to disrupt the daily lives of commuters, workers, hauliers and businesses, who are forced to contend with traffic restrictions and delays on a strategic route for the area.
Cannata is therefore calling on the Consortium to clarify the current status of the procedures and the actual timeline for the start of construction. In particular, he refers to CAS’s earlier indications, which had envisaged the tender launch by July and the award of the works by November.
“Where do we stand? Which deadlines have been met? When will the site be handed over? CAS must answer publicly and clarify what concrete steps it intends to take to speed things up,” Cannata pressed, also urging that all necessary technical procedures and checks be completed as quickly as possible.
He is asking for a precise, up-to-date and verifiable schedule that sets out the planned dates for the start of the work and the restoration of traffic. The MP also calls for an evaluation of all technical solutions that could allow the current restrictions to be lifted early, while always respecting safety conditions.
“Their time is valuable and every further delay has a cost. This situation cannot become the norm. We cannot keep chasing deadlines that keep shifting while citizens are left queuing,” he added.
The message to CAS’s leadership is therefore clear: after securing the financial resources, it is necessary to accelerate the administrative and technical process and provide concrete answers to the area.
“The funding was secured to solve an urgent problem. Now CAS must do its part, speed things up and deliver results. Citizens’ patience cannot be the method used to manage emergencies,” Cannata concluded.
