Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muthalib has affirmed that there is no cause for concern regarding the quality of the Thilamale’ Bridge, the flagship project linking Male’, Villimale’, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
Speaking to the press yesterday after touring the Villimale’ construction site, Dr Muthalib said the Maldivian Government is working closely with the Government of India and the project’s contractor, AFCONS, to ensure works proceed without further disruption and are completed at the earliest opportunity.
According to the Minister, much of the work completed to date has been made possible through sustained cooperation between the two governments, including efforts to help the contractor resolve a series of challenges that had affected progress.
“We are now working to have the bridge fully connected through to Thilafushi, with all works completed by the end of 2027 at the latest,” he said.
Addressing Public Concerns Over the Structure
The Minister used the occasion to address questions circulating on social media, particularly suggestions that the bridge appears uneven or contains visible dips along its span.
He stressed that the project has been fully designed and engineered to precise specifications, and that its appearance from a distance offers no real indication of its structural integrity.
“This is not a bridge that has merely been sketched out. It is a designed and engineered project. It does not necessarily have to look the way it appears from afar. There are no such dips. Because the structure is assembled from separate segments joined together, much like Lego pieces, any defect of that kind would prevent the segments from aligning as they currently do,” Dr Muthalib said.
While acknowledging that the scale of the undertaking has contributed to delays, he reiterated his confidence in the standard of construction.
“This is not a question of quality. What people are seeing from a distance is an illusion. The work is not progressing on a bridge that contains the kind of bends being described,” the Minister said. “God willing, once completed, this bridge will stand as an engineering marvel. It is a project of that scale and complexity.”
Progress and Financing
The Thilamale’ Bridge project is now 72 percent complete. Both the Maldivian and Indian Governments have given assurances that the major sections of the bridge will be finished by the end of next year, enabling vehicular movement between Male’ and Villimale’ to begin.
Currently the largest infrastructure project underway in the Greater Male’ Region, the Thilamale’ Bridge carries a total cost of USD 500 million, equivalent to MVR 7.7 billion. Of this sum, USD 400 million has been extended through a Line of Credit from the Export-Import Bank of India, with a further USD 100 million provided as a grant from the Government of India.
