The official name of the landmark bridge being constructed between capital Male and airport island Hulhule is "Sinamale Bridge", revealed Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Thursday.
Till date the bridge, which was undertaken with the assistance of the Chinese government, was referred to as "China-Maldives Friendship Bridge".
"Sinamale" is a combination of "Seenukara", the Dhivehi name for China, and the name of Maldives' capital, Male. The first flats that were developed in Male, with free aid from China, were also named Sinamale Flats.
The two ends of the bridge were finally joined by the last segment of its superstructure on July 9, marking the day as the first time for Male and Hulhule to be joined via a man-made structure. It was also the first time for two islands in Maldives to be connected across a channel.
The government has announced that the completed bridge will be unveiled before the end of August.
Sinamale Bridge is one of the most ambitious infrastructural projects undertaken by the current government. It is estimated to cost USD 200 million, out of which USD 116 million was provided as free aid and USD 72 million as a loan by China. The Maldivian government is bearing USD 12 million of the project cost.
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