Egypt opens major suspension bridge soon

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is expected to unveil next month a major suspension bridge built with Japanese assistance across the Suez Canal, said a Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JAICA) official.

The JAICA resident representatives in Cairo told MENA that the bridge would be opened on October 9 in a high-profile ceremony as part of Egypt's celebration of the October 1973 War anniversary.

The official said that the bridge served as a symbol of Egyptian-Japanese friendship.

Feasibility studies on the Mubarak-Peace Bridge followed the Egyptian leader's visit to Japan in 1995 and were co-conducted by JAICA and the Egyptian Transport Ministry.

The studies, led by Japanese consultancy consortia, were completed in 1996.

The JAICA official put costs of the bridge, constructed north of the Suez Canal town of Ismailia, at L.E 670 million jointly contributed by Egypt and Japan.

The Japanese government offered Egypt an LE 482 million worth of grant to finance the bridge.

The bridge is aimed to cope with the increasing traffic in the area and link the Sinai Peninsula to the main homeland.