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Sinamalé Bridge

The Sinamalé Bridge (Dhivehi: ސިނަމާލެ ފާލަން) links the islands of Malé, Hulhulé and Hulhumalé (through Hulhulé') in the Maldives. The 1.39 km long bridge has two car lanes and separate lanes for motorcycles, and pedestrians, and opened on 30 August 2018. It was originally called the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge due to funding received from the Chinese government. It is the first inter-island bridge in the Maldives.

History

The idea of a bridge between the two islands of Malé and Hulhulé was first raised in 2007 and was widely discussed in 2008 following the pledge on constructing a bridge by the then president Maumoon during his presidential campaign. Mohamed Nasheed, another presidential candidate, and the opposition criticized the idea at the time.

The project was officially started by president Abdulla Yameen in 2014 and was inaugurated in 2018.

The total cost of US$210 million was mostly funded by a US$126 million Chinese government grant and US$68 million Export Import Bank of China loan. China Harbour Engineering (CHEC) is the main contractor and had been praised for the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge in Malaysia.

Issues

Controversy surrounds the large amount of debt borrowed from China to finance the construction of the bridge. The construction of the bridge stands as just one among numerous significant ventures completed during the tenure of Abdulla Yameen, a president aligned with China, who assumed office in 2013.

In 2014, Yameen undertook the commitment to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), thus facilitating the participation of Chinese enterprises in funding vital infrastructure undertakings within the Maldives, notably exemplified by the construction of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.