River Benue (in Makurdi showing OLD Bridge)

The Old Bridge, Makurdi is a combined rail and road bridge over the

Benue River The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or Tchadda, is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months. The size of its bas ...

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popula ...

, Nigeria. The structure was completed in 1932.

Construction

Construction of the bridge started in 1928, and it was opened by Donald Cemeron on 24 May 1932 to coincide with the celebration of

Empire Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch as ...

. The span of the bridge is about half a mile, and the distance between abutments is . The bridge was built to replace the Nigerian railway's ferry service that conveyed passengers across the Benue at Makurdi. The cost of the bridge was about £1,000,000, and it was constructed by Sir William Arrol & Co. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest undertakings by the British in Africa and the longest bridge in Africa. The track spacing is 3 ft 6 in gauge. The site was chosen because of the narrowness of the river and the elevation of the land above the river (about ) at this point.

References

Bridges in Nigeria {{Nigeria-bridge-struct-stub