The Autostrada A18 is an autostrada (Italian for "motorway") 77 kilometres (48 mi) long in Italy on the Ionian coast of Sicily that links Messina to Catania. The motorway is linked to the A20 Messina-Palermo at its northern end and to the A19 Palermo-Catania through the RA15 Catania's Ring Road at its southern end. There is also a second stretch of the Autostrada A18, 59.1 kilometres (36.7 mi) long, on the south part of the island, running from Syracuse to Modica, and with the plan to extend it to Gela. It is a part of the E45 European route.

Autostrada A18 shield}}
Autostrada A18
Route information
Part of E45
Maintained by ANAS
Existed1971–present
Section 1
Length77 km (48 mi)
North endMessina
Major intersections A20 in Messina
RA15 in Catania
South endCatania
Section 2
Length59.1 km (36.7 mi)
North endSyracuse
South endModica
Location
CountryItaly
RegionsSicily
Highway system
A 17 A 19

From the beginning it was planned to unite the two sections into a single motorway, from Messina to Gela, which would make it possible to optimize connections with the tourist areas and those in the eastern area of Sicily at the time undergoing industrialisation. The two sections of the Autostrada A18 are connected to each other, without interruption, through the Catania's Ring Road (from Catania Nord to the Passo Martino district), the Autostrada Catania-Siracusa (from the Passo Martino district to Augusta-Villasmundo) and the strada statale 114 Orientale Sicula [it] (from Augusta-Villasmundo to Syracuse).

Route

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Messina – Catania

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Autostrada A18 near Giardini Naxos
 
Autostrada A18 near Catania
  MESSINA – CATANIA
Exit ↓km↓ ↑km↑ Province European route
    Messina-Palermo 0.0 km
(0 mi)
77.0 km
(47.8 mi)
ME   E45
  Messina Sud – Tremestieri 1.4 km
(0.87 mi)
75.6 km
(47.0 mi)
ME
  Toll gate Messina Sud 1.6 km
(0.99 mi)
75.4 km
(46.9 mi)
ME
  Itala (in project) 11.0 km
(6.8 mi)
66.0 km
(41.0 mi)
ME
  Alì Terme (in project) 17.7 km
(11.0 mi)
59.3 km
(36.8 mi)
ME
  Roccalumera 21.3 km
(13.2 mi)
54.3 km
(33.7 mi)
ME
  Santa Teresa di Riva - Valle d'Agrò [it] (in project) 26.4 km
(16.4 mi)
50.5 km
(31.4 mi)
ME
  Rest area "Barracca" 25.6 km
(15.9 mi)
50.0 km
(31.1 mi)
ME
  Taormina 35.2 km
(21.9 mi)
40.4 km
(25.1 mi)
ME
  Giardini Naxos 41.0 km
(25.5 mi)
34.6 km
(21.5 mi)
ME
  Rest area "Calatabiano" 42.2 km
(26.2 mi)
33.4 km
(20.8 mi)
CT
  Fiumefreddo 47.4 km
(29.5 mi)
28.2 km
(17.5 mi)
CT
  Mascali - Giarre nord (in project) 53.4 km
(33.2 mi)
23.6 km
(14.7 mi)
CT
  Giarre 58.7 km
(36.5 mi)
16.9 km
(10.5 mi)
CT
  Acireale 68.9 km
(42.8 mi)
6.7 km
(4.2 mi)
CT
  Rest area "Aci Sant'Antonio" 71.3 km
(44.3 mi)
4.3 km
(2.7 mi)
CT
  Toll gate Catania Nord 75.6 km
(47.0 mi)
0.7 km
(0.43 mi)
CT
  Paesi etnei 76.7 km
(47.7 mi)
0.3 km
(0.19 mi)
CT
    Catania Centre – San Gregorio
  Catania's Ring Road
77.0 km
(47.8 mi)
0.0 km
(0 mi)
CT

A18 Northern Catania connection

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  A18 DIRAMAZIONE CATANIA NORD
A18 Northern Catania connection
Exit ↓km↓ ↑km↑ Province
      to Messina
    RA15 – Catania's Bypass
0.0 km
(0 mi)
3.7 km
(2.3 mi)
CT
  San Gregorio 0.1 km
(0.062 mi)
3.6 km
(2.2 mi)
CT
  Canalicchio 2.0 km
(1.2 mi)
1.7 km
(1.1 mi)
CT
  Catania Centro 3.7 km
(2.3 mi)
0.0 km
(0 mi)
CT

Siracusa – Ragusa – Gela

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Autostrada A18 near Ispica
 
Autostrada A18 near Modica
  SIRACUSA – MODICA
Exit ↓km↓ ↑km↑ Province European route
    Orientale Sicula
  Syracuse
0.0 km
(0 mi)
132.7 km
(82.5 mi)
SR   E45
  Canicattini Bagni 0.1 km
(0.062 mi)
132.6 km
(82.4 mi)
  Cassibile 9.5 km
(5.9 mi)
123.2 km
(76.6 mi)
  Avola 14.9 km
(9.3 mi)
117.8 km
(73.2 mi)
  Noto 24.6 km
(15.3 mi)
108.1 km
(67.2 mi)
  Rest area "Tellaro" (in project) 36.8 km
(22.9 mi)
104.9 km
(65.2 mi)
  Rosolini 40.0 km
(24.9 mi)
92.7 km
(57.6 mi)
  Ispica - Pozzallo
  Ferries to     Malta
47.5 km
(29.5 mi)
85.2 km
(52.9 mi)
RG
 
  Modica -   Ragusana
59.1 km
(36.7 mi)
73.6 km
(45.7 mi)
End of motorway in operation
  Scicli 70.5 km
(43.8 mi)
62.2 km
(38.6 mi)
RG  
in project
  Rest area "Irminio" 81.0 km
(50.3 mi)
51.7 km
(32.1 mi)
  Ragusa 84.4 km
(52.4 mi)
48.3 km
(30.0 mi)
  Santa Croce Camerina - Vittoria sud 93.8 km
(58.3 mi)
38.9 km
(24.2 mi)
  Vittoria nord - Comiso
  Comiso Airport
106.7 km
(66.3 mi)
26.0 km
(16.2 mi)
  Rest area "Acate nord" 118.0 km
(73.3 mi)
14.7 km
(9.1 mi)
  Acate 120.6 km
(74.9 mi)
12.1 km
(7.5 mi)
  Toll gate Gela est 132.5 km
(82.3 mi)
0.2 km
(0.12 mi)
CL
  Gela est -     Sud Occidentale Sicula 132.7 km
(82.5 mi)
0.0 km
(0 mi)

See also

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Other Italian roads

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  Media related to Autostrada A18 (Italy) at Wikimedia Commons