emocratic Republic of Congo Infrastructure and Public Works Minister John Banza Lunda launched construction work on a new bridge over the Kwango River along National Highway 1 on September 3, 2026.
The 283-meter-long, 10-meter-wide bridge will be built upstream from the existing structure. It is intended to provide a safer, more reliable crossing and strengthen the road link between Kinshasa, Kwango and Kwilu, as well as the broader Kasai region.
The project is expected to cost $23 million and is being carried out under the Sino-Congolese Program. The Infrastructure Ministry is overseeing the project, with the Congolese Agency for Major Works, or ACGT, managing implementation on its behalf and the Sino-Congolese Infrastructure Company, or SISC, carrying out the construction work.
According to information released by the ministry, the new bridge will have 10 spans, including one measuring 13 meters and nine measuring 30 meters each. The structure will rest on two abutments and nine intermediate piers supported by piles designed for local ground conditions.
The project also includes a 497-meter access road, drainage works and safety features. A temporary steel bridge will be installed to keep traffic moving on National Highway 1 during construction. Construction of the new bridge follows several warnings about the condition of the existing structure.
In December 2020, civil society groups in Kwango had warned that the bridge was at risk of collapse because of its deteriorating condition. In September 2025, during an inspection visit to the province, Banza Lunda found that the third pier had subsided. Chinese company CREC7 then carried out stabilization work as authorities considered replacing the bridge.
Subsequent technical investigations identified several weaknesses in the existing structure, including settlement affecting some of its piers, corrosion of the steel structure and insufficient deck stiffness.
Once completed, the new bridge is expected to replace the existing structure and improve a strategic section of National Highway 1. The road links Kinshasa with Kwango and Kwilu before continuing toward the Kasai region, making it one of the main road connections between the capital and the country’s interior.
