The Victoria Falls bridge, one of Zimbabwe’s most famous landmarks, is old and possibly dangerous, railway officials said on Thursday.
The bridge, which opened in 1905, was designed to last 100 years. Now officials say it carries 170% more weight than it was designed to carry 100 years ago, despite its age.
”There are excessive vibrations being felt whenever a heavy truck transverses the bridge,” says an official railway report.
A National Railways of Zimbabwe official said a load limit of 30 tonnes is now being imposed — for the first time in 15 years.
”A structural analysis of the bridge is currently under way on the basis of which action to either reconstruct or reinforce it will be taken.”
The bridge, which spans the Zambezi gorge just below the world’s mightiest waterfall, carries a railway line, a road and a footpath.
It is also a popular tourist venue and the sight of one of the world’s highest bungee jumps.
The bridge carries heavy traffic between Zimbabwe and neighbouring Zambia. — Sapa