Matadi Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Matadi Bridge, also known as the OEBK Bridge, is a suspension bridge
in the port of Matadi
, Democratic Republic of Congo. Completed in 1983, it has a main span of 520 m, crossing the Congo River
, carrying the main highway between the capital Kinshasa
and the Atlantic coast. As well as passing through Matadi it links the ports of Boma and Banana
.
Matadi Bridge is the only fixed crossing of any kind over the lower and middle Congo River. The next crossing is a road and rail bridge
at Kongolo
, 2800 km (1,739.8 mi) further upstream on the upper Congo (the Lualaba River
).
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
in the port of Matadi
Matadi
Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Bas-Congo province. It has a population of 245,862 . Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River from the mouth and below the last navigable point before rapids make the river impassable for a...
, Democratic Republic of Congo. Completed in 1983, it has a main span of 520 m, crossing the Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
, carrying the main highway between the capital Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
and the Atlantic coast. As well as passing through Matadi it links the ports of Boma and Banana
Banana, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Banana is a small seaport in Bas-Congo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Atlantic coast. The port is situated in Banana Creek, an inlet about 1 km wide on the north bank of the Congo River's mouth, separated from the ocean by a spit of land 3 km long and 100 to 400 m...
.
Matadi Bridge is the only fixed crossing of any kind over the lower and middle Congo River. The next crossing is a road and rail bridge
Kongolo Bridge
Kongolo Bridge is a cantilever rail and road bridge that crosses the Lualaba River, and is one of only two major bridges to cross any tributary of the Congo River basin. It was constructed by the Belgians in 1939, and was reconstructed in 1968 under the Mobutu regime...
at Kongolo
Kongolo
Kongolo is a town in Tanganyika District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It is located on the west bank of the Lualaba River, the largest headstream of the Congo River. It has 62 455 inhabitants.- Transport :...
, 2800 km (1,739.8 mi) further upstream on the upper Congo (the Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
).
