Mukuku Bridge

The Mukuku Bridge (also known as the Tuta Bridge) is a road bridge in Samfya District, Luapula Province, Zambia, that traverses the Luapula River and the Bangweulu wetlands. It was commissioned in 1983 and at 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) is the longest bridge in Zambia.

Design and description

The Mukuku Bridge carries the Serenje-Mansa Road across the Luapula River and is located in Samfya District in Luapula Province, on the border with Chitambo District in Central Province, and is a major inter-provincial transportation link. It is a low-level concrete bridge supported on multiple piers that crosses an expansive floodplain subject to seasonal inundation. At 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) in length, sometimes reported as much as 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), it is the longest bridge in Zambia, second only in Southern Africa to the 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) Maputo–Katembe bridge in Mozambique.

History and construction

The Mukuku Bridge was opened on 19 August 1983 by President Kenneth Kaunda; it was built as part of the then Zambia–China Economic Programme. which also included the Serenje-Mansa Road, now also known as the Tuta Road.

The bridge is a national monument, first declared provisionally in 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mukuku Bridge". Zambia Travel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 R. K. Chitotela (26 August 2019). "National Heritage Conservation Commission Act: The National Heritage Conservation Commission (Mukuku Bridge) (National Monument) (Provisional Declaration) Order, 2019" (PDF). Government of Zambia, The National Heritage Conservation Commission. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 Mwelwa C. Musambachime (2016). One Zambia, One Nation, One Country. Xlibris. ISBN 9781514462287.
  4. ↑ Yang Feiyue (18 May 2024). "China and Zambia look to the future as ties celebrated". China Daily.
  5. ↑ Zambia: 20 Years of Independence, 1964-1984. Lusaka: Zambia Information Services. 1984. p. 53. OCLC 17182128.
  6. ↑ "Heritage Sites in Zambia". Zambia Tourism. Retrieved 6 October 2026.

12°06′55.9″S 29°50′49.7″E / 12.115528°S 29.847139°E / -12.115528; 29.847139