The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the
Zambezi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
just below the
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...
and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river forms the border between
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
, the bridge links the two countries and has border posts on the approaches to both ends, at the towns of
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...
,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
, and
Livingstone,
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
.
History
The bridge was the brainchild of
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...
, part of his grand and unfulfilled
Cape to Cairo railway
The Cape to Cairo Railway was an unfinished project to create a railway line crossing Africa from south to north. It would have been the largest and most important railway of that continent. It was planned as a link between Cape Town in Sout ...
scheme, even though he never visited the falls and died before construction of the bridge began. Rhodes is recorded as instructing the engineers to "build the bridge across the Zambezi where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls". It was designed by
George Andrew Hobson
George Andrew Hobson (29 March 1854 – 25 January 1917) was a British civil engineer known for the development of the patented Hobson steel flooring and the design of the Victoria Falls Bridge.
He was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and educated at ...
of consultants Sir Douglas Fox and Partners, assisted by the stress calculations of
Ralph Freeman, who was later the principal designer of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
. The main central arch is a
parabolic curve
In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves.
One descript ...
.
[The Victoria Falls Bridge]
To the Victoria Falls – The Victoria Falls Bridge
accessdate: 2 March 2017[Livingstone News]
central
accessdate: 2 March 2017[Bridge Design & Engineering (Bd & e)]
Ramboll picked for new check on Victoria Falls Bridge – Bridge Design & Engineering (Bd & e)
accessdate: 2 March 2017[Best Bridge Africa Victoria Falls Bridge]
accessdate: 2 March 2017
The bridge was prefabricated in England by the
Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company was a UK bridge works and structural steel contractor based in Darlington. It built landmarks including the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe; the Tees Transporter Bridge; the Forth Road and Humber suspe ...
,
before being shipped to the port city of
Beira in
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
-ruled
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, and then transported on the newly constructed railway to the Victoria Falls. It took just 14 months to construct and was completed in 1905.
The bridge was officially opened by
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
Sir George Darwin, son of
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
and President of the British Association (now the
British Science Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
), on 12 September 1905. The
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
has designated the bridge as an
International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
![Victoria Falls Bridge from the Knife Edge Bridge trail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Victoria_Falls_Bridge_from_the_Knife_Edge_Bridge_trail.jpg)
Constructed from steel, the bridge is
long, with a main arch spanning ,
at a height of
above the lower water mark of the river in the gorge below. It carries a road, railway and footway. The bridge is the
only rail link between Zambia and
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
and one of only three road links between the two countries.
The Victoria Falls Bridge did not bring the first train or the first railway to
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
(called Zambia since 1964). To push on with construction of the railway north as fast as possible, Cecil Rhodes insisted that the Livingstone to
Kalomo
Kalomo is a town in southern Zambia, lying 125 km north east of Livingstone, on the main road ( T1) and railway line to Lusaka. It is home to the Batonga people. It was the first administrative centre of Northern Rhodesia (specifically North ...
line be laid before the bridge was finished. Then a
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
was conveyed in pieces across the gorge by the temporary electric
cableway
Cable transport is a broad class of transport modes that have cables. They transport passengers and goods, often in vehicles called cable cars. The cable may be driven or passive, and items may be moved by pulling, sliding, sailing, or by driv ...
used for the transportation of the bridge materials and nicknamed the 'Blondin' by the construction engineers. The locomotive was re-assembled and entered service months before the bridge was complete.
For more than 50 years, the bridge was crossed regularly by passenger trains as part of the principal route between the then
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
, southern Africa and Europe. Freight trains carried mainly copper ore (later, copper ingots) and timber out of Northern Rhodesia, and coal into the country.
The age of the bridge and maintenance problems have led to traffic restrictions at times. Trains cross at less than walking pace and trucks were limited to 30 t, necessitating heavier trucks making a long diversion via the
Kazungula Ferry
The Kazungula Ferry was a pontoon ferry across the Zambezi River between Botswana and Zambia. It was one of the largest ferries in south-central Africa, having a capacity of . The service was provided by two motorised pontoons and operated betwee ...
or
Chirundu Bridge
The Chirundu Bridge now consists of two road bridges side by side across the Zambezi River between the small town of Chirundu, Zambia and the village of Chirundu, Zimbabwe. At this location around 65 km downstream from the Kariba Dam the ...
. The limit was raised after repairs in 2006, but proposals for more fundamental rehabilitation or construction of a new bridge have been aired.
During the
Rhodesian UDI crisis and
Bush War, the bridge was frequently closed (and regular passenger services have not resumed successfully). In 1975, the bridge was the site of
unsuccessful peace talks when the parties met in a train carriage poised above the gorge for nine and a half hours. In 1980, freight and road services resumed and have continued without interruption except for maintenance.
Today, one of the Victoria Falls Bridge's main attraction are historical guided tours focusing on the construction of the bridge and include a walking tour under the main deck. On the Zambian side there is a small museum about the bridge which is free to enter and contains a café selling refreshments. Also located on the bridge is the Shearwater
bungee jump
Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...
including a bungee swing and zip-line. Concerns about safety of the attraction were raised in late 2011 after the bungee's cord snapped and a young Australian woman fell into the fast-flowing river (she survived).
Perth Now,"WA girl survives bungee cord snap"
Retrieved 8 January 2012. Includes video clip.
The bridge was originally referred to as the Great Zambesi or Zambezi Bridge, later becoming known as the Victoria Falls Bridge.
Map
The Location of the bridge and surrounding area by Openstreetmap
Gallery
Bill's Bungy Jump.jpg, Bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria5.jpg, Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria Falls from the helicopter.jpg, Helicopter view
Victoria Falls gorge1.jpg, Victoria Falls gorge with Victoria Falls Bridge in background
Victoria Falls Bridge over Zambesi.jpg, Bridge in 1975
Cataratas Victoria, Zambia-Zimbabue, 2018-07-27, DD 21.jpg, View of the bridge and the falls
See also
* List of crossings of the Zambezi River This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Zambezi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Oc ...
References
External links
*
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Deck arch bridges
Railway bridges in Zimbabwe
Railway bridges in Zambia
Bridges completed in 1905
Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
International bridges
Zambia–Zimbabwe border crossings
Bridges over the Zambezi River
Victoria Falls
Buildings and structures in Matabeleland North Province
1905 establishments in the British Empire