The Kigongo–Busisi Bridge, also referred to as the Mwanza Gulf Bridge, is a bridge under construction in
Tanzania. When completed as expected in 2024, it will span across the
Gulf of Mwanza, linking the areas of Kigongo in the
Mwanza Region and Busisi in the
Geita Region, cutting crossing time from thirty-five minutes by ferry to four minutes by automobile. It is reported to be the longest bridge in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
and the sixth-longest on the
African continent.
The bridge forms a part of the Tanzanian Trunk Road
T4. As part of this road infrastructure project, a tarmacked road will be constructed to link the eastern end of the bridge to the city of
Mwanza.
Location
The geographical coordinates of the Kigongo–Busisi Bridge are 02°43'29.0"S, 32°52'21.0"E (Latitude:-2.724722; Longitude:32.872500).
Overview
Before the construction of this bridge, there was no road link between Kigongo and Busisi. A ferry was the only means of connection between the two sides. The ferry takes 35 minutes to travel the distance, but pre-boarding, boarding, travel, and disembarking can last as long as three hours. An average of 1,600 automobiles cross the Gulf of Mwanza using the ferry, every 24 hours. That number is expected to increase to 10,200 very 24 hours, when the bridge is completed, according to the ''Tanzania National Roads Agency'' (TANROADS).
In 2019, the
government of Tanzania contracted a consortium of two Chinese state-owned engineering and construction companies to design and build this transport infrastructure project. The two firms are
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd. (abbreviation CCECC) was established in June 1979 under the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
It performs international contracting and economic cooperation, C ...
(CCECC) and
China Railway 15th Bureau (CR15B).
Construction costs and timeline
At the start of construction in December 2019, the contract price was reported as TSh:699 billion, fully funded by the Tanzanian government, with completion initially planned for 2023.
In July 2021, the progress of works was reported at 27 percent. At that time, the contract price was reported as US$308.88 million. The new completion date was reported as 2024.
As of July 2022, completion was estimated at 47.3 percent. At that time, a total of 776 jobs had been created by the project, of which 720 jobs (92.8 percent) were filled by Tanzanians and 56 jobs (7.2 percent) were taken up by non-Tanzanians.
See also
*
List of roads in Tanzania
The following is a list of national roads in Tanzania, under the jurisdiction of the ''Tanzania National Roads Agency'' (TANROADS). The list is not exhaustive. As part of the 2007 Roads Act in Tanzania, National roads were classified into two cate ...
References
External links
Brief Project Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kigongo-Busisi Bridge
Bridges in Tanzania
Geita Region
Mwanza Region
Bridges under construction
Buildings and structures in Tanzania