Afcons: No doubts regarding quality of Thilamale’ bridge; work meets highest standards

India’s Afcons Infrastructure, the contractor of Thilamale’ bridge project which will link Male’, Vilimale’, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu and is valued at around MVR 7 billion, states there is no room for doubt regarding the quality of the bridge, emphasizing that the work carried out meets the highest standards.

In an exclusive interview with Sun regarding the progress of Thilamale’ bridge project, project manager SM Visvamurthy said work carried out on the bridge meets the highest standards, adding here is no compromise on quality.

“The foreign consultant appointed by the Ministry supervises our work. Hence, every work we carry out is observed by the consultant,” he noted.

Visvamurthy underscored that carrying out such a project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As such, he stressed that Afcons would adhere to highest standards with respect to every component of the bridge project.

Speaking further, Visvamurthy noted that the piling work for the Thilamale’ Bridge was carried out at a depth of 122 meters, potentially setting a world record for the deepest underwater piling operation. He added that the project has been submitted to the Guinness World Records, and a team from the organization visited the Maldives to inspect the site. He expressed optimism about securing the record.

Visvamurthy detailed that 70 percent of the work on Male’-Vilimale’ section of the bridge will be completed by the end of the month. He emphasized that the project will become significantly easier once the segment direction work for this section is finished.

Afcons is targeting complete and open Male’-Vilimale’ section of the bridge for public use by the end of this year.

The seven-kilometer bridge linking Male’, Vilimale’, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu features the tallest precast segments to be produced in the world at 8.2 meters high and 25.3 meters wide. 

It is one of the biggest projects initiated by the former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration. The bridge project is financed under an Indian grant of USD 100 million and a USD 400 concessional credit line from India’s Exim Bank and was awarded to India’s Afcons Infrastructure in August 2021.