THE Victoria Falls Bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia is still intact 119 years after it was constructed, an Emerged Railway Properties Private Limited inspectorate report has revealed.
In a statement released recently, the Emerged Railway Properties, which is jointly owned by two governments’ respective railway companies, the National Railway Zimbabwe and Zambia Railway Limited, said the Victoria Falls Bridge was still in good form for use.
The bridge will be celebrating 119 years in September this year.
The joint railway organisation’s mandate is to ensure that Victoria Falls Bridge is maintained and the structural integrity is maintained in such a way that the bridge is safe and its economic liability is obtained.
“Every year, a combined team of technical staff from key institutions including the Road Development Agency (RDA) of Zambia and the Road Department of Zimbabwe, health and safety experts, security experts undertake the inspection of the bridge to ensure that its structural integrity is confirmed and the contractor takes on going and quarterly maintenance of the bridge regularly,” the statement said.
The latest principal inspection was taken by Rambo, a Denmark-based structural engineering firm which highlighted that the Victoria Falls is generally very healthy and the current maintenance schedule was sufficient for securing durability.
“We assume service life of the main structure of 200 years from the original construction until 2105. It is clear that the life expectancy of the bridge is, in fact, estimated to be less than 200 years from the year of construction in 1905 which implies that life expectancy still stands over 100 years,” the organisation said.
Emerged Railway Properties also assured all stakeholders and users of the bridge that the facility remains structurally sound, safe and economically viable.
- Vic Falls Bridge still intact, 119 years after
