Kazungula Bridge
Kazungula Bridge | |
|---|---|
Kazungula Bridge under construction over the Zambezi, at the duo-tripoint between Namibia and Zimbabwe, and crossing between Botswana and Zambia | |
| Coordinates | 17°47′28″S 25°15′45″E / 17.79111°S 25.26250°E |
| Carries | 2 lanes of A33 / M19 (1 each way), pedestrian traffic and railway line |
| Crosses | Zambezi |
| Locale | |
| Official name | Kazungula Bridge |
| Maintained by |
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| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 923 m (3,028 ft) |
| Longest span | 129 m (423 ft) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Piers in water | 4 |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 5 December 2014 |
| Construction end | December 2020 |
| Construction cost | $259,300,000 |
| Inaugurated | 10 May 2021 |
| Replaces | Kazungula Ferry |
| Location | |
Kazungula Bridge is a road and rail bridge over the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Botswana at the town of Kazungula. The 923-metre-long (3,028 ft) and 18.5-metre-wide (61 ft) bridge, which has a longest span of 129 metres (423 ft), links the town of Kazungula in Zambia with Botswana. Between the two traffic lanes and pedestrian footways there is a single railway line (although currently unconnected), which will eventually become a section in the proposed Mosetse–Kazungula–Livingstone Railway. The bridge construction, which took 10 years to complete, was overseen by the South Korean construction firm Daewoo E&C.
Before the bridge was opened for traffic in May 2021, direct traffic between the two countries was possible only by ferry. The bridge takes advantage of the short 135-metre (440 ft) border the two countries share at the river, and is curved to avoid the nearby borders of Zimbabwe and Namibia.