Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said the ongoing work to design an electronic toll collection system to manage traffic on the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge will be completed within the next four months.
The designing of the electronic toll collection system of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is contracted to a subsidiary of the China-based CCCC Second Harbour Engineering Company Limited, which is also the contractor of the bridge project.
“The Ministry is currently working to procure toll collection equipment and the system will be set up with the completion of the work on the main deck of the bridge, “ Dr. Muizzu said.
The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is the first project of its kind in the Maldives and is the largest development project. The project was officially inaugurated by President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on December 30, 2015.
The 2,000-metre bridge, set to be completed and inaugurated in July 2018, the productivity of the region is expected to be highly revitalized, according to the Government.
The bridge will cost approximately US$210 million, of which 94% is provided by the Chinese government, which includes a grant aid of US$124 million and a soft loan of US$73.4 million. The remaining US$12.6 million is provided by the Government.