Moving heavy project cargo through Mozambique remains a problem – not because of road infrastructure, but because of the state of its bridges.According to Philip Warren, managing director of Africa Route Clearance Consultants and MGI Weighbridges, nearly every bridge needs to be propped up or bypassed. This drives up the cost of moving abnormal loads significantly.“The road network infrastructure is very well developed in southern Africa and we find that moving the cargo in that regard is not as much of a problem. But when it comes to the bridges, we run into trouble – especially in Mozambique.”He said many of the routes had fatal f laws – meaning the bridges were limited in the weight or height that could be carried. This often meant circumventing a bridge completely. “Where we can prop we do that, but often we have to build bypasses and one route that can be required several times. It becomes a very expensive undertaking.”He said Mozambique’s limitations affected its ability to handle abnormal cargo. Many of the bridges were also old and in dire need of rehabilitation. “This is especially the case if we look at some of the components that we are moving in now, such as wind turbines. They are not only very cumbersome and large pieces, but we are also talking about a lot of heavy loads for one project.”He said in the case of Mozambique, there were many bridges whose limitations left transporters with little alternative but to bypass. “We have the equipment and the weighbridges, the expertise and the knowledge to move project cargo well, but we can’t move the bridges, we can only bypass them. It is expensive and adds significantly to the cost of any project.”
