Addu City Council opens Hankede Bridge in Maldives

Monday, February 3, 2025
At midnight on Saturday, the Addu City Council officially opened Hankede Bridge in the Maldives to the public at midnight. The completion of the bridge’s construction connected Maradhoo and Gaukedi. The bridge was measured to be 1.4 kilometers in length.
The official opening of the Hankede Bridge to the public came after delays. It was officially inaugurated on August 11, during a ceremony that was attended by India‘s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was visiting Addu City.
The government initially announced the bridge’s opening in July, but it was later postponed to September. Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar urged the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Infrastructure in a Facebook post to take responsibility and open the bridge.
The construction contract was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure in October 2021, funded through a line of credit from the Exim Bank of India; work concluded in mid-2024 for the bridge.
Prior to the bridge’s opening, the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Infrastructure seized sand the city intended for the project, which Nizar criticized as “uncivilized” and “illegal,” according to Mendhuru TV.
Sources
[edit]
- “Hankede Bridge opens to public amid delays and concerns” — Avas, February 1, 2025
- Mariyath Mohamed. “Addu Hankede Bridge now open to the public” — The Edition, February 1, 2025
- Masha Midhath. “Hankede Bridge completed; No reason for delay in opening: Addu City Mayor” — Ras, January 27, 2025
- Mariyam Milzam Masood. “Addu City Mayor Criticizes Infrastructure Ministry’s Seizure of Sand for Hankede Bridge Project” — Mendhuru, November 30, 2024
- Malika Shahid. “Addu land reclamation, Hankede Bridge complete, handed over” — The Edition, August 11, 2024
- “Hankede Bridge opening postponed to September” — Avas, August 4, 2024
- Aishath Shuba Solih. “Preparations underway to open Hankede bridge for public use in July” — The Edition, June 26, 2024