The proposed construction of the Botswana-Zambia bridge is in good progress officials have announced. The Kazungula Bridge is on the border between Botswana and Zambia.

Botswana’s Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transport and Communications, Neil Fitt and Zambia’s Acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Supply, Joe Kapembwa said construction of a temporary bridge on the Zambian side has been completed while the Botswana side will be completed in June.

Zambia’s side was also constructing a permanent bridge.

Construction of offices and staff accommodation has also progressed, with some of the offices already occupied.

The construction of the Kazunugla Bridge commenced in December 2014 at a cost of US$234 million.

Phase one of the project comprises the construction of a 923-metre-long rail/road bridge, while phase two involves construction of one-stop border post facilities and ramps on the Botswana side and the final phase involves construction of similar facilities and ramps on the Zambian side.

Phase one started in December 2014 and is expected to be completed in December 2018 while phase two is expected to commence this month. Phase three is due to begin in May 2016.

The Bridge will provide the much-needed connection between the regional economic areas, and will also link regional ports which handle all exports and imports from and through Botswana and Zambia.

People especially tourists travelling between Zambia and Botswana have always found crossing the Zambezi River by pontoon at Kazungula a terrifying experience because of many accidents in which hundreds of people, including former Southern Province Minister Maimbolwa Sakubita, lost their lives when the pontoon capsized in the 1970s.

The project suffereda major setback in 2014 when President Sata, who initiated unprecedented infrastructural development projects across the country, died in November 2014.