Final parts of Maputo-Catembe bridge loaded on ship in China

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Final parts of Maputo-Catembe bridge loaded on ship in China

7:09 CAT | 21 Aug 2017

File / This is how the longest suspension bridge in Africa will look like when it's finished

The metallic parts for the platform of the suspension bridge over Maputo Bay have now been loaded onto a ship in the Chinese port of Xangai, which is expected to sail at any moment to Maputo.

Silva Magaia, chairperson of Maputo-Sul, the public company that owns the bridge, told reporters on Saturday that loading the parts was concluded on Saturday.

Cited by Radio Mozambique, Magaia said “skepticism about whether the project will be completed has now dissipated”.

The pillars and cables of the suspension bridge, which links central Maputo to the outlying district of Katembe, are now in place, and the main task still to be done is to assemble and install the platform.

The contractor for the bridge is the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), and the job is budgeted at 725 million dollars. Apart from the three kilometre bridge itself, the project also includes rebuilding the 209 kilometre road from Catembe to Ponta de Ouro, on the border with the South African province of Kwazulu-Natal. CRBC will also rehabilitate the roads from Catembe to Bela Vista, and from Bela Vista to Boane.

Also Read: Maputo-Catembe bridge 82 percent complete

Initially it was hoped that the ship carrying the metallic parts of the platform would dock in Maputo port in late May or early June. Despite the delay in the arrival of these parts, Magaia was optimistic that the bridge can still be concluded by December.

Work on the approach roads to the bridge has involved displacing households who have now been resettled in Tenga locality, to the northwest of Catembe. Magaia said that the resettlement site is being equipped with electricity, water sources and a health unit.

Also Read: Cargo restrictions on the Maputo-Catembe crossing

Source: AIM