Italy: Salvini considers commissioner management for Sicilian highways

Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini is evaluating the possibility of appointing a commissioner to manage urgent interventions on the A18 and A20 highways in Sicily. This move follows a meeting with Sicilian Vice President Luca Sammartino to address the ongoing stalemate regarding highway safety and infrastructure maintenance.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Mit) stated that discussions held with the Consortium for Sicilian Highways since last July have failed to produce expected results. A hundred-day deadline expired on October 26 without adequate responses to identified critical issues.

Currently, speed limits have been reduced to 60 km/h on sections of the A20 between Palermo and Messina, and the A18 between Messina and Catania, due to safety works. The Ministry emphasized that while regional autonomy is respected, temporary traffic restrictions cannot be a permanent solution to structural problems. A commissioner-led approach is being considered to ensure faster procedures, defined responsibilities, and verifiable timelines for using resources already identified by the Sicilian Region.