President assures Giraavaru connection of Thilamale’ Bridge will begin next year

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has assured that construction of the Thilamale’ Bridge segment connecting to the Giraavaru lagoon will begin next year.

The President gave the assurance during a meeting held Monday with land recipients from the Male' City Residents Association, Giraavaru Association, and beneficiaries from Gulhifalhu and Giraavaru.

At the meeting, he said work on the Giraavaru connection would commence next year and pledged to resolve issues that arose following amendments to the Housing Act.

The Thilamale’ Bridge project is being built by India’s Afcons Infrastructure, which took over the project in 2021 during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration. Physical work began roughly a year later. Although the bridge was initially scheduled for completion last year, Construction Minister Dr Abdullah Muthalib said in late December that 67.35 percent of the project had been completed, cautioning that the current pace may not meet the planned deadline.

President Muizzu had also noted during a November 23 meeting with residents of Vilimale' that the bridge was not progressing at the speed the government expected. He said the project may not be completed within the contractor’s estimated timeline, though he did not specify a new date.

In an exclusive interview with Sun last week, Thilamale’ Bridge project manager SM Visvamurthy said work is being carried out to the highest standards, with no compromises on quality. He said 70 percent of the segment between Male' and Vilimale' is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Overall, 68 percent of the bridge is now complete, and the segment between the city and the port is expected to be finished by October.

The seven‑kilometre bridge will link Male' to Vilimale', Vilimale' to Gulhifalhu, and Gulhifalhu to Thilafushi. It will feature two lanes, a pedestrian walkway, and dedicated space for utility lines such as electricity and water.

The Solih administration had previously announced multiple opening dates for sections of the bridge, and a supplementary agreement signed before the end of that government extended the project deadline. Delays have drawn criticism toward both the former administration and the current one. Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has predicted the bridge will not be completed within this term.