Thousands of people have marched in Messina, Sicily, to protest a government plan to build a bridge connecting the Italian mainland with Sicily.

Italy's government gave final approval on Wednesday to the construction of what will be the world's longest single-span bridge, connecting Sicily to the mainland, despite financial and environmental concerns that have delayed it for decades.

A long-delayed and debated span linking the Italian mainland with Sicily cleared a major hurdle Wednesday, allowing work to begin on what would be the world's longest suspension bridge.