The Maputo-Catembe Bridge, a project in Mozambique built by Chinese state-owned firm China Road and Bridge Corporation, will be completed by the end of 2017, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported.

The project includes three parts: the bridge, the Maputo-Ponta do Ouro road and the repair and construction of roads connecting the districts of Bela Vista and of Boane. Work started on the 3-kilometre-long bridge structure in 2012. The project was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China in the form of loans to the Mozambican Government.

Xinhua described the bridge as “one of the largest suspension bridges in Africa”.

The project is expected to reduce greatly the travelling time between Maputo, the nation’s capital, and Ponta do Ouro – a beach destination that is one of Mozambique’s main tourist attractions – the report added.