PRESS RELEASE ON THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE
PRESS RELEASE ON THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE
The Victoria Falls Bridge is managed by the Emerged Railways Properties (Pvt) Limited (ERP), a company jointly owned by the two governments through their respective Railways Companies, namely, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL).
One of ERP’s key mandates is to ensure that the Victoria Falls Bridge is maintained in such a way that its structural integrity is maintained so that its safe usage and economic viability are also assured. To do this, ERP has a strict bridge maintenance regime that ensures that these objectives are achieved. Specifically, the following activities are undertaken without fail:
A principal Inspection is undertaken every Five (5) years and is deliberately undertaken by an international independent consultant. The last such inspection was undertaken in August 2022. Every year, a combined team of technical staff from key institutions including the Roads Development Agency (RDA) of Zambia and the Roads Department of Zimbabwe, among others, undertakes an inspection of the bridge also to ensure that its structural integrity is confirmed. Finally, a qualified and experienced contractor has been engaged to undertake the on-going maintenance of the bridge and regularly checks on the bridge’s structural integrity.
The latest Principal Inspection was undertaken by Rambøll, a Denmark based structural engineering firm and their inspection report states in part:
‘As documented in the present report, the Victoria Falls Bridge is generally very healthy, and the current maintenance schedule is sufficient for securing the durability. When the items listed in the summary above are taken care of, and the good maintenance practice continued, we assume a service life of the main structures of 200 years from the original construction, i.e. until 2105 (~2100)’[1]
It is clear from the above that the life expectancy of the bridge is infact estimated at no less than 200 years from the year of construction in 1905 which implies that its life expectancy now still stands at well over 100 years, subject of course, to continuing the rigid maintenance regime highlighted above and which ERP ensures is implemented without deviation.
Based on the above, ERP now provides assurance to all stakeholders and users of the bridge that the facility remains structurally sound, safe and thus also economically viable.
Issued by the ERP Board
21st July 2023
