A new loan facility will help finance the connecting roads that link with the planned bridge connection between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo. The US$56 million loan is being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and will pay for building the 6.8km of road that will connect directly to either end of the bridge. It will also be used to help pay for 25km of access roads with DRC capital Kinshasa and 23km of access roads with Congo capital Brazzaville.
The bridge itself will measure 3.2km and span the Congo River, carrying both road and rail traffic between the two nations. Building the bridge and the necessary road connections will help to develop the economy of both nations and the project has an estimated cost of some $500 million. For the DRC, the new bridge will provide a connection to the large port located at Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo. This will help exports to the DRC overall as the country’s own Congo River port at Matadi has a shallower draft that restricts the size of vessels able to access the facility.
