Construction of the bridge linking Malé City to its larger urban extension, Hulhumalé, is ongoing according to schedule, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Muizzu said.

Housing Minister Muizzu revealed this through a post on his Twitter account, attached with aerial photographs of the site from at least three angles.

Construction of the bridge is fully assigned to the China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd., the subsidiary of a construction enterprise owned by the Chinese state. This is the same company that built the 24-km ‘Penang Second Bridge’ in Malaysia.

The bridge, for which the Chinese government provided a grant of USD 116 million and a loan of 72 million, was to be completed by September last year, when the company and former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb signed the agreement as presidents Abdulla Yameen and Xi Jinping looked on. 

However, completion of the bridge has now been moved down to 26^th July this year, the date on which Maldives will mark its 53^rd year of independence. The bridge is to be over 1.5 km long with four total lanes.

Minister Muizzu had initially said that a total of at least USD 191 million would be spent on construction of the bridge alone, out of an estimated budget of over 200 million at the lowest.

The project was President Abdulla Yameen’s key pledge during his campaign, and the government began seeking loan to finance its construction in 2013 and a year later Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed.

The project is widely considered to be the government's biggest accomplishment, with its supporters quick to site that President Yameen had brought to materialization a pledge that former presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed had both voiced their affinity towards as well.