Friday
22nd Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Signing ceremony of preliminary works for Addu Bridge, attended by the Construction Minister Dr. Muththalib. | Photo: President’s Office
The bridge connecting islands in Addu will turn Addu into a city of migration from other parts of the country, Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdullah Muththalib said.
He was speaking after the signing of the agreement for the preliminary works of the bridge connecting Hulhudhoo and Hithadhoo in Addu today.
He said that when he visited Addu 10 years ago, he hoped to connect the village with Hithadhoo. The bridge will be very long, he said.
When the President announced the bridge in the last presidential election, a number of companies, including major Chinese companies, expressed interest in the work. The agreement signed today with Egypt's “The Arab Contractors”, which expressed the greatest interest in the matter, was not only for research, he said.
The minister said The Arab Contractors wants to be the company that will complete the bridge. The information collected under today’s agreement is to know the costs of the bridge, make the necessary designs and gather all the information needed to go for an EPC contract.
The feasibility of the bridge will be worked on in consultation with the Addu council, the mayor and the people of the city. The bridge will be completed according to the needs and wants of the people of the city.
When the bridge is completed, it will bring development to Addu, and the province will become a place where people will migrate to from other places, he said. The hope is to complete the bridge within the President’s term, he said.