The installation of the pillars of the Maldives' second overwater bridge, the Thilamale' Bridge, has commenced.
The project manager of the Thilamala Bridge project, Mohamed Jinan, told AVAS that the pillars that need to be installed in Male' have already been installed. The work of installing pillars in the sea between Male' and Villimale' is underway, he said.
He said that in order to link Male' and Villimale' via a bridge, part of Villimale' needs to be dredged. Some components of this work have been completed, he said, adding that the work of the main casting of the bridge at the Gulhifalhu end was also underway.
The bridge will be completed from Male' to Gulhifalhu by December this year, said Jinan. The entire bridge is scheduled to be completed by May 2024, he said.
"Our milestone is to complete the bridge connection by these dates," Jinan said.
The Maldives government signed the contract to construct a bridge linking Male', Villimale', Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu with India's AFCONS Infrastructure on August 26, 2021. The bridge construction and related works and surveys and research are also carried out by AFCONS.
The bridge project is funded by the Government of India. The bridge is being built with a USD 100 million grant from India and a USD 400 million loan from India's Exim Bank - part of a USD 800 million line of credit. The entire project costs 7.7 billion in Maldivian currency. India has also provided an additional USD 15 million in free aid for the construction of the bridge.
The Thilamale Bridge will be 6.695 km long and will include a bridge and causeway.
