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

MILAN — Italy has cleared the way to build the world’s longest suspension bridge. A link between the Italian mainland and Sicily will be created in a massive 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion) infrastructure project that has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the specter of mafia interference.

The Italian government said the bridge would be a security asset, which allows it to categorize the project as a military expense and count it toward its NATO spending commitments.