Egypt's first suspension bridge, evidence of Egyptian-Japanese cooperation

Minister of Transport Ibrahim El-Demiri and the Japanese Ambassador in Cairo Fali Yasuto on Tuesday inspected the location of Egypt's first suspension bridge and gave the go-ahead for the implementation of the joint project.

The bridge a cross the Suez canal, which represents existing Egyptian-Japanese cooperation, is the first of its kind in the Middle East

"The metal structure of the bridge expected to be installed in April 2001, will be carried out by a number of specialized Japanese firms," said El-Demiri during an inspection tour.

"The bridge will link Asia and North Africa by an international road and will be an important transit point connecting Egypt to the rest of the Middle East. it is further expected to contribute much to the national project for the development of, one of the mega projects of the government," added El-Demiri.

Up to 6,000 vehicles are expected to cross the bridge, which will help relieve traffic and reduce travel time.

On his part, the Japanese Ambassador in Cairo addressed the ceremony and praised the project which is considered one of the Egyptian projects that serves development.

"It is a remarkable evidence of the Egyptian-Japanese cooperation in the era of President Hosni Mubarak," he added.