The discussion of the Thilamale’ Bridge project, which connects all the islands in the greater Male’ area including Thilafushi, has been going on for some time. This project was first brought up during the last years of the previous president’s term, while the current government has been discussing it for the past 3 years. Now, we can see that it has finally started moving towards execution. The project has been handed over to an Indian company named Afcons Infrastructure Limited, and the architectural plan of the bridge has been made and revealed to the public.
A landmark project being carried out with assistance from the Indian government, the Thilamale’ Bridge is expected to bring about several improvements to the country’s economy. It has been given a USD 400 million line of credit and the Indian government has given further grant aid of MVR 100 million. The bridge, crossway and roads being made under this project are expected to span across 6.7 kilometers, while the connecting roads between the bridge and islands will have traffic lights and bus stations.
Afcon Infrastructure Limited is an experienced company with over 60 years’ of involvement in constructing bridges and roads within India and other countries. The company is targeting to finish the Greater Male Connecting Project (GMCP) within the next 2 years. Afcon Infrastructure Limited has ongoing projects in Maldives such as the road construction and land reclamation projects in Addu.
The country is expecting to see major improvements to the economy upon the completion of this project as well as the international harbor project in Gulhifalhu. Once the project has been completed, the warehouses in Male’ will be moved to the Thilafushi/Gulhifalhu area. Consequently, the capital city of Male’ will be seeing major transformations. The current government has plans to create more land space to provide housing for people, which is also expected to help with traffic issues in Male’.
Furthermore, upon the completion of this project, a lot of economical work will be made easier such as the transportation of goods from one place to another. The main purpose of this project is to bring in more economic opportunities to the country and also to provide more housing options.
In addition to this, this project will have a positive impact on Villimale’ that has not seen much development in the past years. This project will allow people to travel to Vilimale’ by bus instead of ferries, making it more accessible and convenient for residents of the Greater Male’ area. The government plans to provide the same services as Male’ in Vilimale’ and keep it as an environmentally friendly island.
