Athi River Super Bridge

Athi River Super Bridge
Athi River Super Bridge during construction, September 2016
Coordinates	1°26′36.05″S 36°58′5.9″E
Carries	Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway
Crosses	Athi River
Maintained by	Kenya Railways Corporation
Characteristics
Design	Beam bridge
Total length	2,785 metres (9,137 ft; 1.731 mi)
Width	5.5 metres (18 ft)
Height	20 metres (66 ft) (pylons)
Longest span	18 metres (59 ft)
Clearance above	18m
Clearance below	25 metres (82 ft)
History
Construction start	2015
Construction end	5 November 2016
Opened	1 June 2017
Statistics
Daily traffic	Railway
Location

The Athi River Super Bridge is the longest bridge on the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). It was built to carry a single-track railway line over the Athi River as it approaches the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. At the time of its construction, the 2.6 km (1.6 mi) bridge was the sixth-longest bridge in Africa and the second-longest railway bridge, exceeded only by the Dona Ana Bridge at 3.67 km (2.28 mi).

The bridge's length was necessary to avoid cutting through the town of Athi River. A direct crossing would have required the destruction of many residences or a major industrial zone. To avoid built-up areas, the Standard Gauge Railway turns to skirt the eastern side of the town. The Super Bridge crosses the meandering Athi River three times, running through undeveloped land in the river's flood plain.

Photos

• 
  Athi River Super Bridge during construction, June 2016
• 
  Launching of the bridge by the minister Andrew Nyakera