Maputo — Mozambique's Minister of Public Works Felicio Zacarias on Wednesday laid the first stone for a second bridge over the Zambezi river, in the western province of Tete.

The bridge will link Benga, in Moatize district, to Tete city, and complements the existing Samora Machel bridge, a few kilometres upstream. That bridge is undergoing rehabilitation and is subject to severe speed and weight restrictions.

The new bridge, due to be completed by 2012, will be 1,350 metres long and will cost 109 million US dollars. That is the lion's share of 137 million dollars to be spent on improving the 250 kilometre long highway from Zimbabwe to Malawi which goes through the middle of Tete province.

The contract to build the bridge has been awarded to a consortium between the two Portuguese companies Mota Engil and Soares da Costa. This consortium also built the bridge further downstream between Caia and Chimuara, in Sofala and Zambezia provinces respectively, which is a key link on Mozambique's main north-south highway.

Soares da Costa, and two other Portuguese construction companies, Ascendi and Infra, have formed a second consortium which will operate the bridge once it is complete.

According to Zacarias, cited in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", the consortium will have a 30 year lease on the bridge. They will be responsible for maintaining not only the bridge, but also the roads to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia.