A18 and A20: The 60 km/h Limit and Your Transfer Times

A ministry inspection of Sicily's two north-eastern motorways has raised the prospect of lower speed limits on roughly 170 km of the A18 and A20. On 9 October the operator, the Consorzio per le Autostrade Siciliane, stated that no new 60 km/h limit is in force and that the existing limits still apply. For travellers, nothing has changed yet between Messina and Taormina or along the north coast towards Cefalù, but the picture could change at short notice. The motorways stay open.

What was announced

On 8 October, after three days of inspections on the A18 Messina to Catania and the A20 Messina to Palermo, Placido Migliorino, the engineer sent by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, said that the speed limit would be reduced to 60 km/h on large parts of both roads. Sicilian press reports put the affected network at about 170 km, between 65 and 70 percent of the motorways run by the Consorzio per le Autostrade Siciliane.

The stretches named in the press are these:

• A18: from Messina to Giarre
• A20: from Messina to Sant'Agata di Militello
• A20: from Cefalù to the Buonfornello junction

According to the same reports, the reason is the condition of the side barriers, which the inspector described as "a tragedy". At the time, a full closure was considered and set aside, partly because the parallel state roads could not absorb the traffic. In a note dated 12 October, however, the ministry told the operator that both motorways cannot currently be considered safe, asked for more restrictive measures and did not rule out closing them to traffic. The Sicilian Region has approved funding for fourteen urgent interventions on the two motorways.

When it applies

This is the point to watch. On 9 October the Consorzio per le Autostrade Siciliane denied that a general 60 km/h limit had been introduced, said that no further traffic restriction is in place, and added that any new measure will be assessed only once the ministry sends its inspection reports. On 12 October the operator contested the inspector's findings and asked the ministry for a technical meeting. At a hearing of the Sicilian Regional Assembly on 14 October, according to a regional deputy, it indicated that no new orders will be issued before that meeting. Press accounts of the inspector's proposal also differ: some describe 60 km/h for all vehicles, others 90 km/h for cars and 60 km/h for heavy vehicles. Any new limit would apply only once a formal order is issued and the road signs are in place. Verify with the operator, Autostrade Siciliane, before travel.

Separately, the work zones already in place on the A18 have a 60 km/h limit and no overtaking. They cover barrier replacement until 28 March 2027 and resurfacing until 31 December, with moving lane closures by day and by night. We described them in our earlier note on the A18 motorway works.

Which transfers are affected

Catania Airport to Taormina

Giarre lies between Catania and Taormina, so most of this route is outside the stretches named. The last part, from Giarre to the Taormina exit, falls inside them. If a lower limit is confirmed, expect a modest amount of extra time on this transfer, more if a work zone is active on the day. Our page on the Catania Airport to Taormina transfer describes the route in normal conditions.

Messina port and Taormina

The whole A18 between Messina and Taormina is within the announced limit, and it already includes a contraflow section near Giampilieri until late November. Cruise guests spending a day ashore in Taormina from Messina have the least room for error, because the all-aboard time does not move. Plan the return leg first.

Palermo, Cefalù and the north coast

The A20 between Buonfornello and Cefalù is on the list, so the last part of a transfer from Palermo Airport to Cefalù would be slower. Journeys from Cefalù towards Messina or Milazzo along the north coast would cross the longest affected stretch, from Sant'Agata di Militello to Messina.

How to plan around it

The arithmetic is simple. At 60 km/h, ten kilometres take ten minutes, against five at 120 km/h. On a stretch of forty kilometres the difference is about twenty minutes, before any work zone or queue is counted.

A few practical consequences follow.

• Add margin to anything with a fixed time: a flight, a ship departure, a ceremony, a dinner reservation.
• On cruise days, set the return from Taormina to Messina by the all-aboard time, not by the map.
• For days with several stops, an hourly chauffeur service lets the timetable shift without rebooking each leg.
• Do not treat the coast road as a shortcut. The SS114 runs through the centre of the towns on the Ionian shore and fills up quickly when the motorway slows.

Orders of this kind are often amended or extended. The traffic notices of Autostrade Siciliane remain the authoritative source on the day of travel.

Travelling with GIORIZZ

Our chauffeurs plan pick-up times on the road conditions of the day, and will adjust them if a new limit comes into force. GIORIZZ operates its own Mercedes-Benz fleet and its own chauffeurs in Sicily.

Request a quote