Minister says 35% of India funded Thilamale bridge completed
According to the current schedule, the bridge will be completed by March 2026.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muthalib has revealed that 35% of the work on the bridge connecting Male to Thilafushi has been completed and the work is progressing at 1.11% ahead of schedule.
Giving the latest updates on the bridge, the minister said it will be completed by September 2026, at a press conference held at the Seneco Hall on Wednesday.
A presentation showing the progress of the project was shown at Wednesday's press conference. According to the information included in the presentation:
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35.53% of the bridge is complete
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58% of the piling work of the pillars has been completed
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43% of pile capping work has been completed
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40% of the pier column is complete
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24% of pre-casting work of super structure completed
The minister said the top priority at the moment is to keep the work on schedule.
“At the same time, once the contractor is comfortable with the work progress, we will start discussing how the pace can be further quickened,” Muthalib said.
According to the schedule, the bridge will be completed by March 2026.
The Thilamale Bridge project is funded by a loan from the Exim Bank of India. The work is being carried out by India's Afcons company.
In the previous government, the work fell behind schedule.
Important statistics of the Thilamale Bridge:
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Price: USD 500 million (MVR 6.2 billion)
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USD 100 million from total price (MVR 1.55 billion) is India's free aid
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Experts from Turkey, Germany and Australia are also involved in the bridge construction
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The project was lent by Exim Bank of India
