MAPUTO, (The Southern African Times) – Construction of the US $260m Kazungula bridge in Southern Africa is complete. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, package one of the project, comprising the bridge proper and approach ramps, is complete; package two, being a Botswana one stop border post, currently under construction at a cost of US $38.4m, was at 98.44% with completion expected end of this month; and Package three, the Zambia one stop border post, ongoing at a contract sum of about US $13.1m, was at 99.40%.
The Kazungula Bridge project is a multi-national project in the North-South Corridor and is part of an infrastructure improvement programme that covers the whole corridor. The project includes a bridge linking Botswana and Zambia over the Zambezi River to replace the existing ferry, and a one-stop border facility at Kazungula.
The bridge is expected to significantly improve trade infrastructure of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African continent as a whole. One-stop border facilities will be erected in both countries with a 930-metre-long and 18.5-metre-wide road-rail bridge.
The bridge would provide vital transport infrastructure on that corridor as it would facilitate easy access to intra-regional trade and international market through connectivity with major sea ports.
