The road link between the cities of Tete and Moatize, in Tete province, will soon be made via a 420-meter-long temporary bridge, which will cost around seven million dollars and for which a technical-geological study will be carried out in three weeks' time.

To this end, negotiations are underway with the partners with a view to bringing the project to fruition, according to the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, during his working visit to the province on Wednesday 17 January.

This is an alternative bridge to the Samora Machel Bridge, which recently suffered a serious incident. The pre-stressed suspended infrastructure, with a length of 762 meters and a deck 11.2 meters wide, is more than 50 years old and has already suffered several storms.

According to Carlos Mesquita, "this temporary bridge will allow heavy and light traffic to pass and its construction will take between three and four months". "It's a very acceptable solution for the situation we're in," he said.

Meanwhile, the government has been working with partners and already has a proposal in hand for the construction of a new permanent bridge, estimated at around 29 million US dollars: "It will collect all the light and heavy cargo traffic coming from Zambia and other countries in the hinterland to Beira and vice versa, no longer using the aforementioned temporary bridge," emphasized Carlos Mesquita.

Referring to the damage to the Samora Machel bridge, he said that the prompt intervention of the National Roads Administration (ANE) and the concessionaire Estradas do Zambeze and other technical players, including the provincial authorities, created the technical conditions to avoid the worst: "They suspended traffic immediately and proceeded to assess the level of danger that the incident could cause," he said.

"This action has made it possible to minimize the time traffic is suspended on the bridge, which is unsuitable for heavy load traffic. Nowadays, there are vehicles weighing from 56 to 72 tons, with nine axles, which may not have been considered at the time the project was designed," explained Mesquita.

According to the minister's assurances, the work to restore this infrastructure has already been completed and we are currently waiting for the final bolts that will connect the two nuts. These parts are in the process of being manufactured in South Africa, due to their specific characteristics. They are expected to be in Tete within 10 days.

"For the time being, every two days, a technical team will inspect the bridge, checking the tightness of the bolts installed and the clamps near the place where the damage occurred," he said.