A Chinese firm secured a deal to construct the nation's longest bridge that will connect Bahir Dar with Gonder for 1.4 billion Br.

China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) was awarded the design and build project that spans 380m across the Abay River. CCCC secured the project by placing an  offer, which was 15.3pc higher than the engineers' estimate.

The bridge, which will have a 21.5m width and the capacity to accommodate a three-lane carriageway, a bicycle path and a walkway, is expected to be completed in three years. The government of Ethiopia will be covering the entire cost of the project.

Upon completion, the project will replace the existing old bridge, according to an official at the Ethiopian Roads Authority, which has a budget of 39 billion Br in the current fiscal year, of which a third is expected to be covered by loans, while the rest will come from the national treasury.

The Bahir Dar Abay River Bridge will replace the current 60-year-old bridge that has deteriorated and aged. Two years ago the Authority hired CCCC to maintain the old bridge at a cost of 23 million Br.

Bahir Dar Abay Bridge will be the longest bridge in Ethiopia once completed, taking over that claim from the 319m Bashilo River Bridge that opened for traffic in October 2006. The 305m bridge over the Baro River in Gambella Regional State and the 303m Abay Bridge were the second and the third longest bridges in the country.

CCCC, a company that is behind many major mega projects in the country, including the construction of Kombolcha Industrial Park, the nation's first, Addis-Adama Expressway, Africa Avenue (Bole Road), Measo-to-Djibouti railway and the expansion of the Addis Abeba Bole International Airport, secured the project after vying against three other Chinese firms.

For the initial tender that was announced by the Ethiopian Roads Authority in November 2018, a total of 14 companies expressed interest by buying the bid document. Six local companies, six Chinese, a Turkish and a Tunisian company purchased the bid document, but only four Chinese companies submitted their technical and financial offers.