Egypt Inaugurates Spectacular ‘Long Live Egypt’ Suspension Bridge Over the Nile

May 23, 2019 (EIRNS)—On May 15, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi opened a 67.3-meter-wide suspension bridge over the Nile, touted as the world’s widest, one of a series of mega-projects under the Armed Forces Engineering Authority designed to improve infrastructure and provide jobs. The bridge, which crosses the Nile just north of central Cairo, is a key link in a highway stretching from the Red Sea in the east to Egypt’s northwestern Mediterranean coast, and is meant to help reduce congestion in the capital, Reuters reported May 15.

At its widest, the Tahya Masr bridge, being called the “Long Live Egypt” bridge, has six traffic lanes in each direction and measures 67.3 meters (222 feet) across. A regional director for the Guinness Book of World Records present at the opening said that makes it the world’s widest suspension bridge. Around 1 million cubic meters of concrete as well as 1,400 km of steel wire for 160 suspension cables were used in its construction, according to a presentation given at the formal opening.

The bridge crosses the Nile’s Warraq Island, which has an estimated 100,000 residents, some of whom have protested against planned demolitions on the island and plans to develop it into a “modern residential community.” On an inspection visit to the suspension bridge last month, el-Sisi denied reports the island could be sold to investors and said the state could not forcefully evict residents, Reuters reported.