Floating bridge at Eye of Maldives

Floating bridge at Eye of Maldives

Floating Bridge

By 2013 should be initiated to build a pontoon bridge in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The construction must connect the island to the island of Gulhi Falhu & Vilingili. The bridge, already approved by the government, will be 330 m long and will be supported by steel platforms circular 4 m in diameter and hollow, like the "paws" to float. According to the architect Jorge Moura, Dutch office Royalhaskoning engineering and architecture, "the inspiration came from a small insect that has a small and lightweight and can float with their long legs and four that remain suspended in the surface tension of water ".
The bridge steel structure will have a one-way road and a bridge for pedestrians and bicycles. Will consist of sections 20m long with two platforms each, amounting to 16 pairs in all. To stay in position, each platform will be held by two cables attached to the seabed, which in some places can reach up to 66 m deep.

Bridging The Grater Male Area

One of the biggest problem in the Maldives is the crowd congestion in the capital and rising cost of housing as well as scarcity of land. Over 100,000 people living in a land area of just under 2 sq km. The Maldives capital island Male' has the highest population density in the world.

Maldives Promotion House – According to the President’s Office the cabinet has decided to proceed with the construction of a bridge between Malé and Hulhulé. The government has stated that the project will be carried out under the Malé decongestion plans to provide affordable housing for the people and to resolve other social issues.

Hulhulé and Hulhumalé are two island districts of the Capital City Malé and one of the major hurdles to the decongestion plans are the waters separating the two islands. The plans released by the government shows three possible options. While bridging the gap between the two islands will definitely be a major part of the plan the government has not yet revealed a schedule for the project.

The government has however noted that overseas experts have done a preliminary survey since the mid 2011 and confirmed the viability of the project. The experts have also estimated a total cost between USD 70 to 100 million, for the project.