Developments visible on the Thilamalé Bridge site

Over a year after the project's commencement, the public can now observe tangible works on the Thilamalé Bridge Project, which is being constructed by the Indian company Afcons Infrastructure.

Mohammed Jinan, the project manager, said that eight pillars will be erected in the bay of Malé and that piling work for the pillars has been completed, and the pile cap is currently being laid. This is the first time that Thilamalé bridge work has been shared with the press in such detail.

Pilings are concrete pipes inserted underground to provide support for the columns, and the pile cap is placed over the pipes. Once the pile cap is installed, the original pillar is placed on top of it.

The two pillars placed in Malé have now been completed, and the next step in the project is to install the V-shaped capping on the top of the embankment, which is the "superstructure" that runs over the bridge. The work is now ready to begin.

Jinan said that parts of the superstructure will be manufactured in Kaafu atoll Gulhifalhu and will be brought to Malé for installation.

According to him, piling work for the bridge will be completed in four phases, which include the shore, the beach, shallow parts of the sea, and the deepest parts of the sea. The largest floating platform used in the project, called "Rumaila", is used for piling at the deepest points.

Small floating platforms are used for piling works in the shallower parts of the sea by building a temporary bridge. At the Malé site, a temporary bridge has already been built at the shallower parts of the sea.

Dredging work has also begun for the bridge, and piling works are being carried out in Villimalé.

According to the drawings shown by the Bridge Office on Tuesday, there will be nine main pillars in the sea between Malé and Villimalé, and there will be 50 pillars of various sizes between Malé, Villimalé, Gulhifalhu, and Thilafushi.

Superstructure parts manufactured locally

The biggest and most important work of the Thilamalé bridge project is being carried out in Gulhifalhu. A large part of the island has been dedicated to this work.

About 1,500 employees are working 24 hours a day on the project, and employee accommodation has been allocated from Gulhifalhu. All the necessary machinery for the project is also available on-site.

The most distinctive feature of the bridge is the molds used to make the parts of the superstructure that must be made to connect the bridge between the pillars. When the Sinamalé Bridge was built, the parts of the superstructure were brought in from China. The V-shaped capping on the pillars was also imported from China. However, this time the capping will be made in Gulhifalhu.

All parts of the superstructure, including the road section of the bridge, will be built on-site, and the parts will be taken and connected to the pillars. Some of the molds have been installed, and the work is now ready to start.

Jinan said the most challenging part of the project is the piling work at such an ocean depth. He said that the work is now underway, and once completed, the most challenging part of the project will be finished.

The work is progressing according to schedule. According to the data given by the contractor, the work will be completed by December," Jinan said.

The Bridge Office had earlier said that the Thilamalé bridge would be opened in December, and that the entire bridge will be completed by 2024.

Under the project, a 6.7-kilometer bridge structure will be constructed to connect Malé, Vilimalé, Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu

Thilamalé Bridge is the largest infrastructure development project of the current government, costing USD 500 million (MVR 7.7 billion). The project is being developed under a USD 400 million line of credit from the Indian EXIM Bank and a USD 100 million grant from the Indian government.