The Maputo-Catembe bridge is the largest in the country, the largest suspension bridge in Africa, and is among the 60 largest suspended spans in the world,according to Cowi and Gauff Engineering .
The deck, which covers a 600-metre suspension span, is estimated to weigh more than 7,000 tonnes.
The 3km bridge links the capital Maputo with the small and picturesque town of Catembe on the southern edge of Maputo Bay.
The U.S$725 Million bridge is part of the Maputo Bridge and Link Roads project funded by the Export-Import Bank of China and the Mozambique government.
The Maputo-Catembe Bridge cuts the normal driving time down to four hours using various fragmented road systems from South Africa and Swaziland into Mozambique. With a width of 680 metres, it will be able to carry high volumes of traffic comfortably in both directions.
Construction of the bridge began in 2014. It is a joint construction and management project between the Mozambique and Chinese governments.
The bridge is considered to be the most important public works project in Mozambique since the country’s independence from Portugal in 1975.
It is one phase in the three-phase 209km Maputo-Ponta do Ouro road project; the 35km Maputo- Catembe section around the bridge is the first phase to be completed.
