Africa's five longest bridges
The 6th October Bridge, Egypt
What you need to know:
The longest bridge in Africa is the 6th October Bridge located in Egypt of 20,500 meters followed by Third Mainland Bridge in Nigeria (11,800 meters), Suez Canal Bridge in Egypt (3,900 metres), Dona Ana Bridge in Mozambique (3,670 meters) and Mozambique Island Bridge (3,400 meters).
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is currently among the fast growing economies in East Africa as well as Africa, growing to a tune of 7 percent, mostly attributed to the current pace of its infrastructure
development projects.
Among infrastructure development projects include Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), construction of Julius Nyerere International Airport Terminal III as well as expansion of its Terminal II, Stigler’s Gorge Hydropower project, among others. And now, a multi- billion shilling by-pass — Selander Bridge — which is to be implemented within three years.
The contract to build the 6.2 km worth $126.26 million (about Sh284billion) bridge that starts all the way from Barack Obama Drive to connect Aga Khan Hospital and Coco Beach at the junction of Kenyatta and Toure Roads was signed between Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) and GS Construction Company of South Africa.
Read more: The fast changing face of Dar es Salaam
Currently reports show that the top five longest bridges in Africa are
located in Egypt, Nigeria, and Mozambique.
Due to the transport facilitation they provide, all of the bridges
have contributed to development in their respective countries.
1. The 6th October Bridge, Egypt
Reports reveal that the 6th October Bridge is the longest bridge in
Africa with a length of 20,500 meters (20.5 km). It is located in central Cairo, Egypt and is a highway with an elevation. It crosses the Nile starting from the west bank suburbs and goes through the east and Gezira Island along to Downtown Cairo. Its final point connects the city to the Cairo International Airport towards the east.
2. The Third Mainland Bridge, Nigeria
The Third Mainland Bridge is located in Nigeria and connects Lagos Island to the mainland with two other bridges, Carter Bridge and Eko Bridge. It has a length of 11,800 meters (11.8 km).
Oworonshoki marks the starting point of the bridge which goes through Apapa-Oshodi and Lagos-Ibadan. Its ending point is the Adeniji Adele.
3. Suez Canal Bridge, Egypt
This is a road bridge that crosses the Suez Canal at El Qantara in Egypt. The bridge is 3,900 meters (3.9 km) in length. It connects the African and Eurasia continents and the Japanese government assisted in the construction of the bridge.
The bridge has contributed to the development of the regions around the Suez Canal.
4. Dona Ana Bridge, Mozambique
This is the link between the two halves of Mozambique,
spanning the lower Zambezi River in the middle of the Mutarara and Vila de Sena towns. Its length is 3,670 meters (3.67 km). The government of Portugal constructed the railway line from Dondo from Beira.
The bridge is an alternative route in the Zambezi. Originally, there
were two options at Cala and Tete but they were not reliable at all
times. The Dona Ana Bridge is also the longest bridge that crosses the Zambezi.
5. Mozambique Island Bridge, Mozambique
It is also in Mozambique and has a length of 3,400 meters (3.4 km). It links the Island of Mozambique to the mainland through the Indian Ocean. The Island of Mozambique was initially the capital of the Portuguese East Africa colonial.
