(3 minutes read)
· A road and rail bridge linking Botswana and Zambia was inaugurated recently. This southern Africa corridor marks the completion of the US$ 259 million project aimed at easing congestion at border crossings in the region
· The Kazungula bridge which is built with a curve over the Zambezi Rive, has a length of 923 metres
· The commissioning of the bridge fulfills the long felt need of the region to go for an alternative route for freight and passenger traffickers to avoid congestion
A road and rail bridge linking Botswana and Zambia was inaugurated recently. This southern Africa corridor marks the completion of theUS$ 259 million project aimed at easing congestion at border crossings in the region. The Kazungula bridge which is built with a curve over the Zambezi River, has a length of 923 metres. The commissioning of the bridge fulfills the long felt need of the region to go for an alternative route for freight and passenger traffickers to avoid congestion.
The project costing US $259 million began in December 2014. It was co-funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), regional governments and o grants from other stakeholders. Namibia and Zimbabwe joined the consortium at a later stage in 2018.
The intra-regional freight movement of goods among various neighboring countries would get a boost with the commissioning of the bridge. Foremost is the easing of traffic between South Africa and Zimbabwe. This will help trucks to bypass the notorious and highly congested Beitbridge border post between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Vehicles spend long hours and sometimes days together while queuing to cross the congested bridge.
