Kazungula, the infrastructure project that is reshaping Southern Africa trade

A recent article published by CNN gives an update of the status of operation of the Kazungula bridge. This bridge, whose construction works commenced in October 2014 and ended in 2021, was built with a $260 million project co-financed by Botswana and Zambia, that in August 2007 announced a deal to construct a road and rail bridge to replace the old ferry transport system between the two countries.

Located in an area of Africa known as the "quadripoint," where Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe converge at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, the bridge is operational since 10 May 2021. It includes a railway track that separates the two carriageways which however has not yet been connected to the existing rail infrastructure in Botswana and Zambia.

The facility includes a One Stop Border Post (OSBP) that enables travellers and goods to stop only once when crossing the border between Botswana and Zambia. Here, juxtaposed customs offices located at each end of the bridge ensure clearing operations from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a transit time of about half a day.

One year ago, the old border facility received up to 80 trucks a day, now this number is superior to 280, with a rising trend.

A structural health monitoring system (SHMSs) monitors, through embedded wireless sensors, the structural health condition of the bridge (e,g,; deformation of soil and structures), sending alerts to roads authorities that signal which parts of the bridge need maintenance.