President Mohamed Muizzu today led a high-level delegation on a walk from Male' to Vilimale' to mark the connection of the main superstructure of the Thilamale' Bridge between the two islands.
The President was accompanied on the walk this afternoon by cabinet ministers, the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, and other senior government officials.
The main structure connecting Male' and Vilimale' was completed one week ago. Speaking to the media while standing atop the bridge, Muizzu said that the progress of the project demonstrates the government’s commitment to completing infrastructure projects at an accelerated pace.
According to the contractor, Afcons Infrastructure, the bridge will be opened to the public once finishing works, including the installation of railings and lighting on both sides, are completed.
The agreement for the Thilamale' Bridge project was signed between the former MDP administration and India's Afcons on September 16, 2021. While the original completion date was set for May 17, 2024, the deadline was later extended to September 30, 2026.
Following the signing, underwater geotechnical surveys and borehole drilling were conducted throughout 2022. Additionally, a site for fabricating bridge segments was established in Gulhifalhu.
Work on the superstructure and precast segments progressed rapidly at the Gulhifalhu site. The installation of marine pillars for the Thilamale' Bridge commenced on August 18, 2023. Prior to this, work had already begun in the Vilimale' area and on the Male' side. Furthermore, the piling and capping of four land-based pillars began under the MDP administration in February 2023.
However, Muizzu has attempted to distort these facts by claiming that the physical work on the Thilamale' Bridge only truly began under his administration.
Speaking on "The Pulse" program, Muizzu claimed that his government started the project from "near zero." He asserted that not a single pillar had been installed during the MDP administration.
"Between Male' and Villingili, for instance, one could say almost nothing had been done. There was very little work. No pillars had been installed or anything of that nature in terms of execution," Muizzu said.
"Therefore, I would say the practical work was a project started from near zero. Yet, more than two years had passed since the project was officially initiated before that."
Despite these claims, official records, government statements, and documented media reports confirm that physical construction of the bridge was well underway by the time the current administration took office.
