The Likoni Pedestrian Floating Bridge

On 10th December, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Shs 1.9 billion Liwatoni Pedestrian Floating Bridge in Mombasa County. The 1.2 kilometer stretches from Liwatoni in Mombasa Island to Ras Bofu (Peleleza) in Likoni. The Liwatoni Pedestrian Floating Bridge is the fi rst of its kind in the region and is designed to ease pressure on the Likoni ferry crossing by taking up most of the foot traffi c, leaving the ferries to serve vehicular and cargo crossing between Mombasa Island and the South Coast.

The Liwatoni fl oating bridge is about 840 metres long and about six metres wide with a barrier at the centre to separate those moving in opposite directions. The bridge also has a 150-metre movable section mid-ocean, to allow for opening and closing and ease the movement of ships in and out of the port.

“The largest ship has a width of 50 metres “and so we have left enough space of 150 metres to allow all the large ships to pass,” said Transport CS James Macharia.

The bridge will be operated by Kenya Ports Authority, whose tag boats will be deployed to open and close the movable part one hour before a ship passes. This will also provide suffi cient time for withdrawing undersea gravity anchors. Pedestrians will have to wait for about an hour before crossing should there be a ship about to pass.

“This means by the time the ship passes, there will be about 45-60 minutes that will have passed before the bridge closes again for pedestrian to cross,” one of the operators said.

“The bridge is now complete, but we have agreed with the engineers that they use up to the end of this month to ensure that all the safety measures are President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiling the plaque at the Likoni Floating Bridge at Liwatoni.

President Uhuru Kenyatta among Coast leaders inspecting the Likoni Floating Bridge at Liwatoni.

addressed and therefore from January 1 citizens will start crossing, the delay would allow engineers to fi nalise the project,” said President Kenyatta who was accompanied by Mombasa governor Hassan Joho and other county leaders. “In just 10 minutes you will have crossed from either side of this channel. There will be no more stress. You will be able to move from this side to Likoni without anyone asking you to queue anywhere,” Adds President Kenyatta.

“The bridge is strictly for pedestrians and only wheelchairs and ambulances, in emergency cases, will be allowed to pass,’ stressed Coast regional coordinator John Elungata.

The Likoni channel ferries an estimated 300,000 passengers and over 6,000 cars daily. However, it is always not smooth with the Kenya Ferry Services vessels which break down frequently. The bridge will provide a relief for the more than 300, 000 people who have been using the channel daily and forced to face the coronavirus threat. Kenyans will now cross the bridge without any limitation on time or being forced to queue for hours before crossing.

“We saw the diffi culties that our people have been forced to endure and more specifi cally during this pandemic. The people were going through a rough time because of queuing before using those ferries. That’s why I decided we should be fair to these people by giving them this bridge,” said President Kenyatta.

The construction works

The construction works involved the establishment of pile foundations and a bailey type bridge — a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. A pile foundation is formed by long, slender, columnar elements typically made from steel or reinforced concrete. A foundation is described as ‘piled’ when its depth is more than three times its breadth. The approaches on either side of the channel are fi xed steel structures anchored on pile foundations. Pins and hinges link the fl oating suspension bridge, and guard rails are mounted on either side of the deck to ensure the safety of the pedestrians. It also has a discrete-continuous structural system with boats backed by 35 No. double body, and 2 No. end boats with twin springboards mounted to form the fl oating deck bridge. The upper section comprises of lattice steel designed from prefabricated parts with a movable main steel structure.

The $17 million bridge built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) can last for over 50 years. However, it is currently used temporarily as a way to address social distancing at the channel due to passengers’ overcrowding and will be dismantled in fi ve years’ time once the Mombasa Gate Bridge is complete which is currently at design stage and estimated to cost $1.8 billion. The Mombasa Gate Bridge is a permanent solution to the Likoni crossing channel woes and construction will start early in 2021 and will take about four years to complete.