Victoria Falls Bridge, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe-Zambia border.
The Victoria Falls Bridge is a 198 metre long steel-lattice, two-hinged parabolic arch bridge spanning the Zambezi River at the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Its deck level is 122m above the fast-flowing waters of the Zambezi and its longest span is about 152m-156m. It is located downstream from the magnificent Victoria Falls at the second gorge. The bridge carries rail, road and foot traffic linking the town of Victoria Falls(Zimbabwe) and the city of Livingstone (Zambia).
It was designed by George A. Hobson with the help of Ralph Freeman the principal designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge was fabricated in England by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company before being transported to its present site via Beira, Mozambique.
Construction began in 1904 and ended in 1905 lasting for about 14 months. It was officially opened on the 12th of September 1905 by the then president of the British Association Professor Sir George Howard Darwin, the fifth child and second son of renowned biologist Charles Darwin.
The idea of the bridge was intimated by Cecil John Rhodes as part of his “Cape to Cairo” dream. He is noted as saying “build the bridge across the Zambezi where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls”. The man himself never got to see the bridge nor the falls it was named after.
Since 1995, the bridge has been commemorated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. According to the International Section of the American Society of Civil Engineering, the bridge “embodies the best abilities of the engineer to enhance the beauty of nature rather than detract from it.”
5 Things to do:
1) Bungee jumping
2) ziplining
3) riding the Bamba Tram.
4) historical guided tours focusing on the construction of the bridge and a walking tour under the main deck.
5) Viewing Victoria Falls from the bridge.
Wondrous Zimbabwe 