23/12/2024
In 1905, 117 years ago, British Engineers constructed the Victoria Falls Bridge linking Southern Rhodesia ( now 🇿🇼Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) across the mighty Zambezi river.
This was part of Cecil John Rhodes mega project of connecting Africa from Cape Town to Cairo via rail.
Note, however, that the bridge was built/prefabricated in England and then shipped to Mozambique and transported to its current location from the Port of Beira by rail for assembly.
The assembly took only 14 months and it fit according to specifications.
Note, that this was 117 years ago, before computers & GPS’s were invented. The British Engineers had earlier come to assess the Victoria Falls gorge, take measurements and designed the bridge based on the geology of the gorge, then went to England to build the bridge!
To this day, the bridge is fully operational carrying both trucks and cargo trains - 117 years later.