09/08/2024
In case you missed it: AFRICA's longest suspension bridge is NOW in Mozambique. Here's what to know: The Maputo-Katembe bridge is a suspension bridge across Bay in southern . The bridge connects the Mozambican capital Maputo, on the northern bank, with its disjunct suburb of Katembe on the southern bank
Construction work began in 2014 and the bridge officially opened 10 November 2018. The construction work was carried out by the Chinese China Road and Bridge Corporation; a large part of the project is financed by loans from the Chinese Exim Bank.
The bridge is the longest suspension bridge on the African continent, replacing the Matadi Bridge, completed in 1983 in the , for this distinction,
Key FACTS:
The cost of the bridge was estimated at $725M.
During the , 3,788 jobs were provided to local people and more than 5,000 technical workers obtained skills.
The suspension spans a little under 700 metres, but the bridge is around three kilometres in total length. It stands 141 metres tall.
The Maputo-Katembe Suspension Bridge and tar road now connecting Maputo to Natal in
Before the Maputo-Katembe Bridge was completed, it was only possible to travel between the two parts by ship, which was inconvenient and time-wasting
Besides its contribution to , the bridge also supports Katembe in terms of , , and economic .
The Maputo-Katembe Bridge forms part of the Trans-African highways connecting , with in Southern Africa, linking the continent's southern and northern regions
The bridge won the Fulton Award in 2017, which is the highest award given for concrete engineering quality in Africa and was titled "the largest suspension bridge with the best quality of concrete"
At the opening ceremony of the bridge, Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambique, pointed out that the Chinese construction team helped Mozambique complete a project deserving to go down in the country's history
