Infrastructural populism and the politics of the Messina Bridge

The debate over the Strait of Messina Bridge has long functioned as a recurring political spectacle in Italy, re-emerging at moments of crisis. Currently championed by Matteo Salvini, the project faces opposition on environmental, social, economic, and democratic grounds. What distinguishes the present phase is the concrete prospect of incremental implementation, despite the absence of a comprehensive executive plan or secured funding. This article conceptualises Salvini’s approach as a form of infrastructural populism: the deployment of large-scale public works as instruments of political distraction, diverting attention from pressing social issues while signalling decisiveness and authority. Three interrelated dimensions underpin this dynamic. First, policy narratives frame the bridge as a panacea for southern Italy’s underdevelopment, casting development as a binary struggle between supporters and opponents. Second, governance practices are marked by an increasingly aggressive disregard for local communities and decision-making processes. Third, coercive state responses to opposition – ranging from protest policing to legal harassment – have reached unprecedented levels. While elements of these strategies have precedents in recent Italian politics, their current intensity and configuration represent a significant discontinuity. Taken together, these dynamics illustrate infrastructural populism in its most acute form, showing how large-scale projects can be leveraged to consolidate political authority and redirect public attention.