Katima Mulilo Bridge, Road bridge over the Zambezi in Sesheke, Zambia

Katima Mulilo Bridge is a prestressed concrete box-girder road bridge over the Zambezi, 877.4 metres long and 10.1 metres wide, with 19 spans and two lanes plus narrow walkways. It curves across the river on a 1,600-metre radius, carrying Zambia's M10 road; the deck was built by incremental launching, pushed segment by segment from the Zambian bank.

Construction started in 2002 following decades of delays caused by political tensions, with the opening ceremony held on May 13, 2004 under Presidents Nujoma and Mwanawasa. The project finally resolved a long-standing barrier to regional connectivity between the two nations.

The bridge carries Zambia's M10 road, so traffic crosses the Zambezi without a border check until the Namibian post at the southern end. Its name comes from Katima Mulilo, the Namibian town about three kilometres east of the crossing. The deck is lit at night and has narrow walkways on both sides.

The crossing accommodates both vehicles and pedestrians, linking Namibia's Walvis Bay port to Zambia's mining regions and broader central African trade routes. You should be prepared for border formalities at both ends and have your travel documents ready for inspection.

The entire structure was built on Zambian territory to secure international funding, as Namibia's economic standing would have required repayment of development loans. This uncommon placement reveals how financial constraints shape the actual location of cross-border infrastructure.