The Construction Ministry has said that seven percent of the work has been completed within the last four months.
State Minister of the Construction Ministry Ibrahim Thoaam said in a post yesterday that 29 percent of the Thila-Malé Bridge has been completed in 25 months.
However, since the new government took over, the project has been accelerated and seven percent of the bridge has been completed in just the past four months, he said.
Two additional jackup platforms are currently on delivery, and are expected to arrive at the bridge site before the end of the month.
“With additional resources for mobilization over the coming months, we hope to see the bridge project move forward at an even faster pace,” he said.
The agreement for the Thila-Malé Bridge project was signed between AFCONS Infrastructure Limited of India and the Maldives government in 2021. The project was far behind schedule at the end of the last administration’s rule.
When the agreement was drafted, the two sides agreed to complete the first phase of work within 27 months. The second phase of the bridge was to be completed within 32 months. The entire bridge was scheduled to be completed by May 17th, 2024.
However, the bridge, which was the largest construction project launched by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government, did not proceed on schedule according to the initial deadlines.
The bridge was not completed on schedule, and a supplementary agreement was signed with AFCONS a day before the end of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration. Under the new agreement, the completion date of the bridge is September 30th, 2026.
However, the first phase of work is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early 2025, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said in December.