Egypt officially opens world’s widest suspension bridge across the Nile [Video]

The president of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Wednesday officially opened the Rod el Farag Axis Bridge which links some parts of northern and eastern Cairo with western Cairo.

Supervised by the Egyptian Armed Forces Engineering Authority and constructed by the Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Co.), the suspension bridge, which crosses the River Nile is 16.7 kilometers long, Egypt’s State Information Service reports.

It is also divided into five other bridges namely the Shobra neighborhood bridge which is the longest, the Ring Road intersection bridge, the Warraq Bridge, the Western Nile Bridge and the Eastern Nile Bridge.

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With a measurement of 67.3 meters (222 feet) across at its widest, the Rod el Farag Axis Bridge accommodates a total of 6 lanes each on both sides, according to Reuters. A representative from the Guinness Book of World Records who attended the official opening of the bridge confirmed the measurements makes it the widest suspension bridge in the world.

Take a look at some photos and a video of the bridge and the presentation of the Guinness Book of World Records certificate below:

This is one of the many beautiful, historic and record-breaking bridges that have been constructed on the continent recently.

At the beginning of the year, the presidents of The Gambia and Senegal, Adama Barrow and Macky Sall officially inaugurated the SeneGambia Bridge.

The 942m long bridge, which was co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Gambia and Senegal is part of the Trans-Gambian road corridor.

In a statement released by the State House of The Gambia, it stated the bridge is a “vital economic and strategic link connecting north and south banks of the River Gambia as well as The Gambia, Senegal and other countries in the sub-region.”

Mozambique also wrote its name in the history books last year when they opened the longest suspension bridge in Africa. Officially named the Maputo-Catembe Bridge, the US$750 million suspension bridge was a joint construction and management project between the Mozambican and Chinese governments and funded by the Export-Import Bank of China. It is also now among the 60 largest suspended bridges in the world.

Uganda also unveiled one of the longest cable suspension bridges in Africa last year. Spanning 525m, the multimillion-dollar the New Nile Bridge, which is located in the town of Jinja is an indispensable access route as it replaced the old Nalubaale Bridge which was constructed by the British in 1954.

Situated across the source of the River Nile, the bridge is the second of its kind in East Africa after Tanzania’s Kigamboni Bridge which spans 680m. It is also the fifth longest cable-stayed bridge in Africa.