Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib has acknowledged that construction of the Thilamale Bridge is progressing more slowly than the government had hoped, raising doubts about whether the project will be completed by the contractor’s expected deadline.  
Speaking at President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s public meeting with residents of Villimale on Sunday evening, Muthalib said:  
“All the work under the sea is done. Work on the superstructure is also underway. However, we are not moving at the pace we want. So it may not be possible to meet the deadline we have already specified in the contract.”  
The minister added that he would meet with the Indian Ambassador on Monday to discuss ways to expedite the project. He noted that the contractor, Afcons Infrastructure, is relatively new to such large-scale bridge work and has faced difficulties.  
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According to the Infrastructure Ministry, 66 percent of the overall project has been completed. Officials told Sun that piling work for the bridge pillars is finished, 98 percent of pile cap work is complete, 75 percent of the pre-cast deck segments have been cast, and 36 percent of pillar connections are done.  
The Thilamale Bridge project is financed through a USD 400 million loan from India’s Exim Bank. In April, the Indian High Commission highlighted that the bridge will feature the world’s tallest underwater precast structure, measuring 8.2 meters high and 25.3 meters wide.  
A worker pose at Thilamale’ Bridge project site on November 22, 2023. (Photo/Infinite Moments/Aaish Ashraf)
Afcons began construction in August 2021 under former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration. The initial completion deadline was last year, but repeated delays led to a supplementary agreement extending the project into 2025.  
Both Solih’s government and the current administration have faced criticism over the pace of the project. Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has argued that, at the current rate, the bridge will not be completed within Muizzu’s term.