The construction works of the Mangoro and Antsapazana bridges in Madagascar’s Alaotra Mangoro area were recently launched by Andry Nirina Rajoelina, the President of the Republic.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as part of the Government of Japan’s Official Development Assistance as a non-refundable contribution to Madagascar in the sum of close to US$ 20.3M, under an agreement signed during President Andry Rajoelina’s attendance at TICAD 7 in Yokohama in 2019.
The project answers to Madagascar’s Emergency Plan’s commitment 7 to encourage Big Island modernisation and equip the country with emergence-compatible transportation infrastructure.
Also Read: France To Fund Madagascar’s Cable Car Project
It is significant because the RN2 is a major road axis for Madagascar’s economy, connecting Antananarivo to the port of Toamasina. The president asserted that they were trying to give answers through the building of infrastructure for Madagascar’s growth and emergence.
Scope of the Mangoro and Antsapazana bridges project in Madagascar
The project entails replacing two old deteriorated bridges in Antsampazana with a single two-lane bridge. “The cantilever building method is used, allowing safe and high-quality construction all year round, unaffected by river floods, and with shorter construction times,” notes the Japanese Embassy in a news statement on this project. It will be a concrete infrastructure over 30m long with two traffic lanes and two walkways on either side.
The new 120m-long Mangoro bridge will be erected upstream of the present bridge, which will be retained for railway and pedestrian traffic. The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2023. During his remarks, Higuchi Yoshihiro, the Japanese Ambassador to Madagascar, emphasised his government’s commitment to assisting Madagascar in its efforts toward economic growth. This assistance manifests itself in the sphere of infrastructure, in this example, through the improvement of the national road network.
