Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Abdulla Muththalib has said that the government will soon assign a contractor to carry out a technical and detailed feasibility, including the design work, to connect the interlinked island districts of Addu City and Hulhumeedhoo.
The initiation of work on the Addu Bridge is included in President Mohamed Muizzu’s ‘Week 14’ roadmap with MVR 30 million budgeted for the project in the 2024 budget.
Muththalib said the work on the bridge will begin within 14 weeks and that the feasibility, as well as the design work, will be assigned very soon. The project will be handed over before the end of 14 weeks and the exact cost will be known once the initial work is completed, he said.
The bridge will have two landing points. One landing point will be where Shangri-La is; an entry point for fairly large vessels. We can’t disrupt that part. On the other side, islands have already been reclaimed. The purpose of a detailed feasibility and design is to find the best way, in consultation with the Atoll Councils, and the people. We will find a solution to go forward while leaving the islands as they are. This feasibility will identify what kind of impact will be made to the reclaimed area.
Dr. Abdulla Muththalib, Minister of Construction and Infrastructure, explaining the reasoning behind the feasibility study during the initial stages of the Addu Bridge.
Meanwhile, President Muizzu had also said the technical and detailed feasibility for the bridge would be assigned soon. While speaking at the Velana International Airport development project inauguration, the President said that the undertaking would facilitate the search for a contractor to ascertain the cost of the the bridge and complete all the necessary documentation to hand over the work.
“The things that have been decided to be done in Addu City are the same things that the people want and the people have asked us to do. A contract [agreement] will be made to ascertain the bridge’s value and all the documents are being completed,” Muizzu had said.
The formation of Addu Atoll naturally interlinks the four islands of Hithadhoo, Feydhoo, Maradhoofeydhoo and Feydhoo, with Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo unliked and further apart. One of the most significant projects in the development of Addu as a city is the connectivity of all island districts via a bridge; which has been a campaign pledge by President Muizzu.
