Athi River Super Bridge
Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Athi River Super Bridge is the longest bridge on the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). It was built to carry a single-track railway line over the Athi River as it approaches the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. At the time of its construction, the 2.6 km (1.6 mi) bridge was the sixth-longest bridge in Africa and the second-longest railway bridge, exceeded only by the Dona Ana Bridge at 3.67 km (2.28 mi).[1]
Athi River Super Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Athi River Super Bridge during construction, September 2016 | |
| Coordinates | 1°26′36.05″S 36°58′5.9″E |
| Carries | Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway |
| Crosses | Athi River |
| Maintained by | Kenya Railways Corporation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Beam bridge |
| Total length | 2,785 metres (9,137 ft; 1.731 mi) |
| Width | 5.5 metres (18 ft) |
| Height | 20 metres (66 ft) (pylons) |
| Longest span | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| 18m | |
| 25 metres (82 ft) | |
| History | |
| Construction start | 2015 |
| Construction end | 5 November 2016 |
| Opened | 1 June 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | Railway |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Athi River Super Bridge | |
The bridge's length was necessary to avoid cutting through the town of Athi River. A direct crossing would have required the destruction of many residences or a major industrial zone. To avoid built-up areas, the Standard Gauge Railway turns to skirt the eastern side of the town. The Super Bridge crosses the meandering Athi River three times, running through undeveloped land in the river's flood plain.
Photos
Athi River Super Bridge during construction, June 2016
Launching of the bridge by the minister Andrew Nyakera
