Dona Ana Bridge, Railway bridge in Mutarara District, Mozambique.
Dona Ana Bridge is an iron railway bridge in Mutarara District, Mozambique, spanning the Zambezi River over a length of about 3,670 m (12,040 ft). It links the two banks of the river and forms part of a rail line running from the interior toward the coast.
Built by the Portuguese in 1934, the bridge carried the Sena railway line linking Malawi and the Moatize coal fields to the port of Beira. It was damaged by RENAMO soldiers during the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992), repaired with US aid and adapted for road traffic in 1995, then reopened to rail in May 2009.
The bridge stands as a visible remnant of Portuguese colonial infrastructure and still shapes the skyline of Mutarara today. The railway it carries remains an important link for communities on both sides of the Zambezi River.
The bridge is open only to rail traffic and cannot be crossed on foot or by road vehicle. The best way to see it is from the riverbank, where the iron structure is clearly visible.
The bridge's 3.67 km length made it the longest railway bridge in Africa when it opened in 1934, with 33 spans of 80 m and 7 spans of 50 m. It was the last downstream bridge over the Zambezi until the Armando Emilio Guebuza Bridge was built in 2009.
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