The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will fund a project to assess and diagnose the state of Mozambican bridges, particularly those erected along the National Road Number One (N1).
The initiative, budgeted at 300 million meticais, aims to ensure the transfer of bridge maintenance technology to the country, to be managed by technicians from the National Roads Administration (ANE), consultants and contractors involved in the provision of roads and bridges. This is an activity that involves a thorough assessment of the state of those infrastructures to design the type of intervention adjusted to the reality.
The information was provided in Maputo by Japanese project specialist, Takahashi Massamune, who is responsible for conducting the project over a period of four years, as part of technical cooperation to improve the capacity of maintenance and management of bridges in Mozambique.
According to Miramar television reported this Monday (27), in a first phase, the priority will go to the bridges built from Ponta de Ouro, in Maputo, to Sunati, in Cabo Delgado province.
“The project aims to design an integrated bridge management and maintenance system through the creation of a complete database, to help the sector in decision making,” said Takahashi Massamune, and then added that this “will increase ANE’s capacity to intervene effectively on bridges.”
The source also explained that the project is expected to extend the useful life of Mozambique’s bridges, many of which were built in the colonial era.
“Most Mozambican bridges just need proper rehabilitation and maintenance to maximize their lifespan. The study will facilitate the preparation of a budget plan for their rehabilitation and the construction of new bridges in Mozambique,” added the JICA expert.
In addition to the maintenance of bridges, ANE and JICA are already establishing partnerships in the construction and maintenance of other infrastructure, including the improvement of about 600 kilometers of national roads in the provinces of Nampula and Niassa, in the northern region of the country.
This joint government project also foresees the exchange of technicians and knowledge between the two countries regarding the rehabilitation and construction of bridges and roads, a field in which Japan has vast theoretical and practical experience.
Thus, a pilot initiative will examine and rehabilitate two bridges in Magude and Incoluane, in Maputo and Gaza provinces, respectively.
Diário Económico
