Builders have begun assembling the Likoni floating bridge after the arrival of a ship carrying 70 steel tubular in Mombasa last weekend.
The piling barge was on Tuesday moved to the site where the assembling was taking place before the installation at the Liwatoni and Peleleza embankments.
An engineer from China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), Roanal Liao said the filling of the first embankment at Liwatoni on the island side is done and they will be moving to the Peleleza side of the mainland.
“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 Liao a reported by Nation.
The engineer said the remaining structures including the main bridge will arrive in Kenya next month for fitting which will be the last stage of the assembly.
Liao said the bridge will last for at least seven years before any part of it can be replaced.
The Chinese company is expected to mobilize a floating crane to mount the superstructure into place once the bridge and steel truss arrive in Mombasa next month.
The project will help more than 300,000 people who use the Likoni crossing bridge daily.
The Likoni floating bridge is part of the State’s strategy to ease human traffic at the Likoni channel in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.
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The bridge is expected to complement the existing ferry services to allow safe passage for motorcycles, pedestrians, and bicycles to reduce the overcrowding at the Likoni crossing channel.
The bridge will have a 529-meters long floating section and 54-meter long approaches on both sides of the floating span.
It will also have a 150-meter movable section mid-ocean to allow for opening and closing and ease the movement of ships in and out of the port.
The floating bridge 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.
