Italy working to cut cost of mega Sicily bridge project -minister

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government is seeking ways to cut the expected cost for taxpayers of a giant bridge designed to connect Sicily with the mainland, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Tuesday.

The government set aside almost 12 billion euros ($12.86 billion) through 2032 to build the infrastructure in its 2024 budget, covering the entire amount of the funding needs.

"But our commitment is to find alternative sources of funding that can reduce the burden of the work, which is currently entirely borne by the state budget," Giorgetti said addressing parliament over the budget.

The bridge connecting Sicily to the southern Calabria region would be some 5 km (3.11 miles) long and include a central span measuring 3.3 km - easily beating the current record 2.02 km central span on the Canakkale Bridge in Turkey.

It is a highly divisive issue in Italy, drawing fierce criticism from those who question the wisdom of building it in an active earthquake zone and those who say it would be a waste of money harmful to the landscape and ecosystem.

($1 = 0.9329 euros)

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)