Strait of Messina Bridge have made the span more than 60% longer than the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan—the largest suspension bridge in the world at . Plans called for four traffic lanes (two driving lanes and one emergency lane in each direction), two railway tracks and two pedestrian lanes. In order to provide a minimum vertical clearance for navigation of , the height of the two towers was to be . This would have been taller than the Millau Viaduct in France (currently the tallest bridge in the world at ). The bridge's suspension system would have relied on two pairs of steel cables,
Millau Viaduct is direct and without tolls for the between Clermont-Ferrand and Pézenas, except for the bridge itself. The Eiffage group, which constructed the Viaduct, also operates it, under a government contract, which allows the company to collect tolls ("Péage") for up to 75 years. As of 2018, the toll bridge costs €8.30 for light automobiles (€10.40 during the peak season of 15 June to 15 September). Each of the seven pylons is supported by four deep shafts, deep and in diameter. The abutments are concrete structures that provide anchorage for the road deck to the ground in the Causse du Larzac