Thousands of people marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to protest a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive 13.5-billion-euro ($15.

Italy has cleared the way to build the world’s largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily.

The government says the road and rail link will create jobs and lift the region’s economy, but critics are concerned about the environmental and social impact.