Addu bridge project handed to second contractor despite pledge to begin work in first year

The Hulhudhoo-Meedhoo Bridge project in Addu City, which President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had promised would commence in the very first week and phase of his administration, has now been handed over to a second foreign contractor, nearly two years later, without any physical work having begun.

The initial agreement for the preliminary design and survey of the bridge linking Hithadhoo and Hulhumeedhoo was signed on 19 February 2024. The work was first assigned to The Arab Contractors, represented at the signing by board member Engineer Heba Ahmed Abu Laila. Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib signed the agreement on behalf of the government.

At the signing ceremony, President Muizzu expressed confidence that the agreement would soon progress into a full-fledged construction contract and pledged that physical work on the bridge would begin within 2024, estimating completion within three and a half to four years.

On 10 March 2024, the then Ministry of Construction announced that the initial survey work for the preliminary design, assigned to The Arab Contractors, had been completed. However, contrary to the president’s assurances, the agreement never evolved into a construction contract.

Instead, before any practical work began, the government on 26 October 2025, signed a new consultancy agreement with TYLIN International Engineering Consulting (China) Company Limited. Under this deal, TYLIN will conduct new surveys, prepare bridge designs, develop technical specifications and compile tender documents for the Addu City Hithadhoo-Hulhudhoo-Meedhoo Link Project.

The new agreement, also signed by Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib on behalf of the government and by TYLIN China branch president Chen Xiaohu on behalf of the company, carries a contract value of USD 1,025,000 which is approximately MVR 15,805,500. The project duration is six months, during which TYLIN is expected to complete all preparatory technical and design work necessary for tendering the actual construction phase.

Despite Muizzu’s repeated pledges to begin construction within his first year in office, no visible progress has been made on the bridge. The government allocated MVR 30 million for the project in last year’s budget, but it has not disclosed how that funding was utilized.

The bridge project was also included in the administration’s “Week 14” roadmap, a list of initiatives to be launched within the first 100 days of Muizzu’s presidency. Yet, nearly two years later, the project remains in the design and consultancy stage, with no explanation offered as to why the first contractor’s work was abandoned or how the new consultancy was selected.

During his presidential campaign in Feydhoo on 27 September 2023, Muizzu declared that initial work on the Addu bridge would begin “in the very first phase and first week” of his administration and that detailed plans would be shared with the public. He vowed at the time to start practical work within the first year, a commitment that remains entirely unfulfilled.