There was excitement at Liwatoni in Mombasa County after the government officially opened the Ksh1.9 billion footbridge to the public on Friday January 1, 2021.
A video seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed residents of Mombasa using the newly-constructed two-lane bridge.
Mbarak Abdalla, one of the residents who used the bridge during its unveiling, expressed his joy over the milestone noting that it could considerably reduce the commute time between the channel.
He further suggested that the state should plan to construct a roofing over the bridge to protect the locals from the natural elements.
"We are so excited over the opening of this bridge today. We would like to have shades across the bridge to prevent us from the sun and the rain.
"The bridge was constructed at an appropriate time because I think we shall protect ourselves from contracting the Covid-19 virus. The spread was fastest at the Linkoni Ferry," he stated.
He also appealed to the state to allow motorcycles and bicycles to use the bridge.
President Uhuru unveiled the Liwatoni Pedestrian Floating Bridge in early December 2020.
The 800-meter Liwatoni footbridge is set to reduce traffic at the Likoni ferry crossing point while reducing time taken to cross the ocean by 70 percent.
Linkoni Ferry has only two vessels that carry over 300,000 pedestrians and over 6,000 vehicles daily.
The bridge has a 150-meter moveable section mid-ocean to allow for opening and closing and smooth movement of ships in and out of the port.
It has a six-meter wide sidewalk that allows pedestrians to walk with no congestion, thus enabling adherence to Covid-19 regulations.
The Ksh1.9 billion bridge was constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) under the supervision of the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) and will be operational until 2025 when a permanent and a wider multi-purpose bridge will be ready for use connecting the island and Likoni.
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