China-Mali Friendship Bridge - Bamako No. 3 Bridge

Design effect drawing of Bamako No. 3 Bridge

Situated in the eastern city proper of Bamako, the capital of Mali, Bamako No. 3 Bridge is a bridge project spanning the River Niger and an interchange project linking the south bank and the north bank. The project involves a total length of 2,294m, including 1,627m for the bridge and the remaining for the interchange on both banks. The north bank of the bridge is connected with V5 Avenue, and the south bank is linked to RX6 Avenue. The north bank bridge is an industrial zone under construction, while the south bank is a residential community.

Both the bridge and the connecting road are designed to be 24m wide and adopt the asphalt concrete surface. The bridge adopts the structure of the cast-in-situ pre-stressed continuous box girder, the fabricated pre-stressed hollow core slab and the pre-stressed prefabricated T girder, and consists of a left section and a right section. The bridge has 69 spans in total, and involves a free length of 1,616m.

The project is one of the entire foreign aid projects funded by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. According to the exchange notes concluded by the Chinese and Malian Governments on August 1 and 8, 2007, the Chinese Government will provide the Malian Government with the free construction, which involves a total investment of RMB400 million. The Ministry of Commerce published an announcement on November 14, 2008, saying CGGC won the tender and would undertake the project.

For the Bamako citizens living on both banks of the River Niger, the two existing bridges fail to satisfy the need of the daily traffic. During the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the leaders of China and Mali reached the consensus on China s aid to construction of Bamako No. 3 Bridge. The bridge funded and undertaken by China will become the longest bridge in Bamako. It will not only provide great convenience for the residents on both banks, but also promote the municipal construction and economic development of the city.