Builders start assembling the Likoni floating bridge
A bulldozer clears the perimeter wall for the construction of a passenger waiting bay for the Likoni floating bridge on September 15, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Engineer says filling of first embankment at Liwatoni on the island side is complete.
Offshore assembling of the Likoni floating bridge has begun after a ship with 70 steel tubular piles arrived in Mombasa over the weekend.
Yesterday, a piling barge moved to the site where assembling is being done before the installation at the Liwatoni and Peleleza embankments.
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) engineer Roanal Liao said filling of the first embankment at Liwatoni on the island side is complete and they will be moving to the Peleleza side on the mainland side.
“Part of the bridge structure is in Mombasa and pile testing has started which will be followed by pile driving into the ocean which will take a minimum of 25 days. The barge is already on site. We are within schedule and hope to complete it within this year as planned,” said Mr Liao.
A Chinese contractor surveys the area where the Likoni floating bridge will go up.
He said the remaining structures including the main bridge will arrive in the country next month for fitting which will be the last stage of assembly.
“The bridge will last seven years before any part of it can be replaced. CRBC is expected to mobilise a floating crane to mount the superstructure into place once the bridge and steel truss arrive in Mombasa next month,” said Mr Liao.
Ship ferrying steel piles of the ongoing Likoni floating bridge is set to dock in Mombasa in the next few days for assembling and installation.
The project will be a relief to more than 300,000 people who use the Likoni crossing channel on a daily basis.
The Likoni floating bridge is part of the government’s plans to ease human traffic at the Likoni channel in a bid to contain the spread of the Covid-19.
China Road and Bridge Corporation is expected to complete the work this year.
The bridge, which is the first of its kind in the region, is expected to complement the existing ferry services to enable safe passage for pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles to reduce the overcrowding that is currently witnessed at the Likoni crossing channel.
The project, which is set for completion in November, is being implemented by the State Department of Infrastructure through the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and will link Mombasa Island to the mainland south.
The bridge will comprise a 529-metre long floating section and 54-metre long approaches on either side of the floating span.
It will have a 150-metre section mid-ocean which will be movable to allow for opening and closing and ease the movement of ships in and out of the port.
It will involve the construction of pile foundations and a bridge of lattice steel designed for quick assembly from prefabricated parts with a movable main steel structure.
