Mozambique: Tolls reduced on Maputo-Katembe bridge

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Mozambique: Tolls reduced on Maputo-Katembe bridge

7:00 CAT | 05 Sep 2022

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The Mozambican government has reduced the tolls paid by motorists using the suspension bridge across the bay of Maputo, which links the centre of the city to the outlying district of Katembe.

A joint diploma from the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Economy and Finance reduces the toll for light vehicles and motorcycles from 160 to 125 meticais (from about 2.5 to two US dollars, at the current exchange rate), a cut of 22 per cent.

Medium cargo vehicles, with no more than two axles, will pay 250 rather than 320 meticais, which is also a 22 per cent reduction. The toll for heavy trucks remains unchanged.

The bridge is 680 metres long and towers 60 metres above the bay. It was inaugurated on 10 November 2018.

Prior to the bridge, residents of Katembe who worked or studied in central Maputo were dependent on a slow and unreliable ferry service. Nonetheless, ever since the bridge was inaugurated there have been complaints against the tolls.

People who make such complaints forget that the ferry was not free of charge. In fact, the ferry fare for vehicles was more than the toll. The bridge, in addition to its convenience, thus saved money for travellers between Maputo and Katembe.

Source: AIM