Construction of the bridge started in 1928, and it was opened by Donald Cemeron on 24 May 1932[1] to coincide with the celebration of Empire Day. The span of the bridge is about half a mile, and the distance between abutments is 2,584 feet (788 m).[2] The bridge was built to replace the Nigerian railway's ferry service that conveyed passengers across the Benue at Makurdi. The cost of the bridge was about £1,000,000, and it was constructed by Sir William Arrol & Co. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest undertakings by the British in Africa and the longest bridge in Africa. The track spacing is 3 ft 6 in gauge.[3] The site was chosen because of the narrowness of the river and the elevation of the land above the river (about 200 feet [61 m]) at this point.
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