Infrastructure in the South of Italy

Italy's revival begins in the South: Webuild and infrastructure as the driving force for growth

In 117 years of history, Webuild - the new Group established in 2020 from Salini Impregilo - built 82,509 kilometres of roads and motorways, globally, bringing together nations, cities, people, while also contributing to the economic and social development of those countries. This large infrastructure has transformed these countries into more modern version of themselves, while also providing a better future for the generations to come.

Italy, today, urgently also needs to modernize. In fact, the country invests less than 2% of its public money on infrastructure. And this makes the whole territory miss an important opportunity, which can bring progress, in terms of mobility and multi-modalities, which are fundamental for growth, and for pushing forward a sustainable development plan. From high speed railways to road networks and metros: Italy needs to modernize its infrastructure. And it can only do so through a maxi plan to relaunch Italy that begins from infrastructure, to create growth and employment.

The South of Italy, at the heart of the TEN-T (Trans European Transport Network) network - the European investment programme to create an infrastructural network capable of efficiently connecting, in a modern way, the most remote angles of our continent, while also promoting the exchange of goods and people - already has a few significant ongoing projects managed by the Webuild Group, but still too many works are waiting to be unlocked. In fact, works in the construction sites that are currently not operative, are worth a total of 13,770 million euros. If reopened, they could offer employment to over 17,000 workers, contributing to the sustainable mobility of millions of people, through the development of Italy's high-speed railway (i.e. the Naples- Bari High Speed railway with the Hirpinia-Orsara and Orsara-Bovino lots still halted, or the Messina-Catania-Palermo High-Speed Railway line). They would strengthen the existing road infrastructure, modernizing it, and making it safer (i.e. The Pontina Motorway and the road system connection in Sicily near Ragusa).

Webuild's commitment to Southern Italy

The Webuild Group has created over 300 public works in Southern Italy since the 1930s, of which about 190 projects have been completed since 1990. The first works carried out were dams and hydroelectric plants in the Palermo area, which were followed by fundamental works for the infrastructural development of all regions.

Webuild today is designing and building some of the largest complex infrastructures in the Southern Italy, together with a chain of production companies that are making their contribution to the growth of the South of the Country.

Webuild is currently working on 19 major projects for Southern Italy. We are designing and building some of the largest complex infrastructures in the South of Italy, with a supply chain of more than 3,800 production companies that are contributing to the growth of the South.

Il Gruppo Webuild ha realizzato oltre 300 opere pubbliche nel Sud Italia dagli anni ’30, delle quali circa 190 sono i progetti completati dal 1990 ad oggi. I primi lavori realizzati furono dighe e impianti idroelettrici nel palermitano, cui sono seguiti lavori fondamentali per lo sviluppo infrastrutturale di tutte le regioni.

Oggi il Gruppo è al lavoro per progettare e costruirealcune delle più grandi infrastrutture complesse nel Sud del Paese, insieme a una filiera di realtà produttive che stanno dando il loro contributo alla crescita del Mezzogiorno.

Webuild sta realizzando 19 grandi progetti per il Sud Italia, tra cui le tratte della linea ferroviaria ad alta velocità e capacità Napoli-Bari, le linee AC Palermo-Catania e Messina-Catania, la Linea AV Salerno- Reggio Calabria. Opere fondamentali per il futuro del Sud e del Paese che vedono impegnate circa 4.500 persone, tra diretti e indiretti, insieme a una filiera di più di 3.800 fornitori che da inizio lavori stanno dando il loro contributo alla crescita del Mezzogiorno, per un valore dei contratti con fornitori pari a 2,5 miliardi di euro.

Tra le alleanze con la filiera, riveste un ruolo di particolare rilievo la fabbrica completamente robotizzata di Belpasso (Catania), per la produzione in Sicilia dei conci che andranno a rivestire le gallerie delle linee ferroviarie ad alta capacità sulla direttrice Messina-Catania.

Particolare attenzione è dedicata alla creazione di opportunità di crescita nel settore nelle regioni del Sud Italia per i giovani, che ad oggi rappresentano in Italia circa il 20% della forza lavoro Webuild, e che saranno sempre più coinvolti nelle attività del Gruppo, sia come manager, sia come maestranze.

Webuild for Italy's South: From Campania to Sicily, the focus is on work

Not just Calabria, but also Campania, Apulia and Sicily. Many regions are interested by the TEN-T network, where the Group is building public works at the heart of the great plan to relaunch Italy. 

There are roads that unite. Roads that were first built millenniums ago, and that make us remember our origins.  Just like the new SS Jonica 106: A symbol of new economic and employment growth opportunities in the South of Italy, it makes use of the need to relaunch infrastructure.

This strategic artery that joined Calabria to Apulia, for the first time, in May 2020, saw the laying of the first stone of the Megalotto 3, for a new tract located approximately one kilometre from the historical road. The SS-106 tract, which from Sibari reaches Roseto Capo Spulico, connecting the coastlines of Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia, will play a central role for interregional exchanges. It will be a modern infrastructure, and a safer one, compared to the previous. It guarantees a low impact on the surrounding landscape, even due to the upgrading of the Archaeological Park of Sibari.

The new SS Jonica 106 becomes a symbol of a new renaissance of the South of Italy, in a moment like the current one: previous problems add themselves to this generic phase of uncertainty caused by the Covid-19. The work will allow 1,500 new jobs, and other ones created by the activities surrounding the project. It will guarantee a future to many families.

Besides the new SS Jonica 106, works to build the new high-speed railway to connect Naples to Bari have already begun, joining these two cities, in a unique network, to Milan and the North of the peninsula. Webuild, for the Naples-Bari railway line, is working on the Apice-Hirpinia tract, and in the Naples-Cancello one, creating a total of 2,000 jobs. The Naples-Bari High-speed/High Capacity railway line will have trains travelling at 200 km/h, passing through internal territories to connect economic communities with a depopulation risk. It will drastically reduce travelling times, bringing significant benefits to the areas touched by the project: i.e. demographic growth of some 90 thousand people, a 1.6% GDP growth, and a 3.6% increase of the income made by residents.

The journey continues to Sicily, where the Group is currently building the Bicocca-Catenanuova tract of the Catania-Palermo railway line. The work, which employs some 1000 people will, once completed, allow a direct connection between Catania and Palermo, in just under 2 hours.