[Let's Run Again Construction Korea] The Miracle of 'Kajunggulla Bridge'... Opened the Logistics Artery in Southern Central Asia

Zambia, Botswana and 4 Other Countries' Border Area
40-Year Dream Project for Southern African Nations

Barge Logistics Time Reduced from 2 Weeks to 2 Hours
Thanks to the Construction of a Miracle Bridge

Winning with Technological Competitiveness and On-Site Expertise
10 Million Hours Without Accidents Amid COVID-19 Challenges

Overview of the Kazungula Bridge in Botswana constructed by Daewoo E&C (Photo by Daewoo E&C)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] 'Sangjeonbyeokhae (桑田碧海)'. This phrase perfectly describes the current scenery at the border area between Zambia and Botswana, countries located in the south-central region of the African continent. Just three months ago, there was no bridge over the 1 km wide Zambezi River here, so both people and trucks had to rely entirely on barges to cross. For trucks carrying cargo, it took as long as two weeks to cross the river after going through customs procedures and being loaded onto the barge.

The landscape of this area has completely changed. In October, the 'Kazungula Bridge,' measuring 823 meters in length and 18.5 meters in width, was completed. Thanks to this bridge, even with the complicated customs procedures, it now takes only about two hours for people and trucks to travel between the two regions.

◆The Miracle of Kazungula= The docks on both sides of the Zambezi River at the Zambia-Botswana border are always bustling with trucks fully loaded with cargo. This is because most of the trade between Zambia and Botswana passes through this point, resulting in a large volume of goods.

Before the opening of the Kazungula Bridge, the situation was severe, resembling a refugee procession. Trucks waiting to cross the river lined up for over 1 km at the docks. Without a bridge over the Zambezi River, trucks had to be loaded onto small barges to cross. Since there were only two barges, truck drivers had to wait about a week at the dock for their turn to board. After the completion of the Kazungula Bridge, the phrase 'Miracle of Kazungula' has been circulating in the Southern African region, according to local industry sources.

The construction of the Kazungula Bridge has been a long-cherished project for Southern African countries for 40 years. Maritime logistics in south-central Africa are conducted through the Durban Port in South Africa, the southernmost part of the continent. Without railroads, these goods must be transported by trucks, which have to pass through Kazungula, where the borders of four countries?Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia?meet, to travel back and forth across south-central Africa. To resolve this long-standing issue, Botswana and Zambia, two countries with good financial conditions, agreed to share the costs equally, and the bridge construction project officially began in 2014.

Daewoo E&C's Kazungula Bridge construction site in Botswana (Photo by Daewoo E&C)

◆The Three-Way Contest Among Korea, China, and Japan, Daewoo Engineering & Construction Seizes Victory= Korea, China, and Japan fiercely competed for the Kazungula Bridge project. The Japanese company took the initiative. Leveraging the advantages of the project, which started with international aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), JICA included special construction method performance records as a bidding condition favoring Japanese companies. In response, Chinese companies launched an aggressive bidding campaign by offering lower construction costs.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction, pressured by the 'white paper' and 'money' war, ultimately relied on technological competitiveness and local construction know-how to win the bid.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction shook up the competition by proposing excellent construction quality and reasonable costs, proven through five road construction projects conducted in Botswana from 1986 to 1991. Japan, relying solely on the bidding conditions, proposed a construction cost of $200 million and lost in price competition, while China offered a price more than 50 billion KRW lower. However, Daewoo Engineering & Construction succeeded in winning the contract with a construction cost of $162 million (approximately 189 billion KRW).

At the time, the project manager from Botswana explained, "Roads built by Chinese companies do not last ten years and develop defects, but roads built by Daewoo Engineering & Construction remain intact even after 30 years," adding, "We entrusted this important project because we trusted the quality."

◆Recognized for Technological Competitiveness= The Kazungula Bridge is the largest project in Southern Africa, consisting of a 923-meter-long, 18.5-meter-wide extradosed bridge, a 687-meter connecting road, and a 2,170-meter single-track railway. The completion process was not smooth due to harsh construction conditions. At the beginning of the project, the concrete strength from local contractors did not meet standards, requiring cement to be procured from Namibia, 1,500 km away. Power outages were frequent. When Zambia experienced blackouts, electricity was purchased from Botswana, incurring customs fees. There were also setbacks such as complete work stoppages due to delayed payments.

Nevertheless, Daewoo Engineering & Construction overcame these difficulties and received the acceptance certificate issued by the governments of Botswana and Zambia on September 5. During this process, they also received a '10 million accident-free hours achievement' certificate.

The Kazungula Bridge is a composite bridge carrying both railway and road traffic, resulting in greater vibration intensity compared to ordinary bridges. Daewoo Engineering & Construction designed this bridge as an 'extradosed bridge.' An extradosed bridge is a type of bridge where cables supporting the girder (deck between piers) are anchored to pylons like those in cable-stayed bridges. It allows for longer spans between piers and is advantageous for vibration control. Notably, the pylons are lower than those of cable-stayed bridges, requiring the deck to be designed to bear more load.

A Daewoo Engineering & Construction official said, "It is highly significant that we successfully completed the project with 10 million accident-free hours amid the harsh African environment and the adverse impact of COVID-19," adding, "The miraculous Kazungula Bridge, which reduced a two-week journey to two hours, will become a regional landmark with its six continuous pylons showcasing outstanding aesthetics."

Kazunggulla Bridge Construction Site (Photo by Daewoo E&C)

◆Continuous Love Calls from the African Market= With the successful completion of the Kazungula Bridge project, Korean companies are expected to have more opportunities in the African market, which had long been dominated by China. Daewoo Engineering & Construction has already received a proposal for a 45 billion KRW bridge project connecting the borders of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Earlier, in May, Daewoo Engineering & Construction secured the main contract for Nigeria's LNG Train 7 project, worth over 2 trillion KRW. This project involves constructing an LNG production plant and auxiliary facilities with an annual production capacity of about 8 million tons. This contract is highly significant as it marks Daewoo Engineering & Construction's acquisition of the main contractor status in the LNG liquefaction plant EPC market, which had been monopolized by some global construction companies.

A Daewoo Engineering & Construction official emphasized, "We are spreading the Korean Wave in construction based on the trust, experience, and high technological capabilities accumulated through long-term exchanges and major projects in key African countries," adding, "We will further expand our role as private diplomats who promote the excellence of Korean construction and enhance national prestige by helping to open economic arteries and enable economic development in Africa, the land of opportunity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.