Hinode Bridge

Ponte Hinode (Portuguese)
Ponte Hinode (Tetum)
The bridge in March 2022
The bridge in March 2022
Coordinates8°33′40″S 125°32′3″E / 8.56111°S 125.53417°E / -8.56111; 125.53417
CarriesRoad vehicles, pedestrians
CrossesComoro River
LocaleComoro, Dili, East Timor
Official nameHinode Bridge
Other name(s)Comoro Bridge III (during construction)
Named forJapan / East Timor
Followed byCPLP Bridge
Characteristics
DesignBox girder
MaterialConcrete, steel
Total length250 m (820 ft)
Width11.55 m (37.9 ft)
No. of spans6
No. of lanes2
History
Constructed byTobishima Corporation
Construction startAugust 2016
Construction cost
  • 2.605 billion yen
  • (approx. US$23.7 million)
Opened13 September 2018
Inaugurated12 October 2018
Location
References
[1][2]

The Hinode Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Hinode, Tetum: Ponte Hinode) (known during the construction phase as the Comoro Bridge III) is a two-lane road bridge in the suco of Comoro, a western suburb of Dili, capital city of East Timor. It was built by a Japanese company, Tobishima Corporation, between 2016 and 2018, with grant aid funding from the Government of Japan.

Location

The bridge spans the Comoro River, 800 m (2,600 ft) south of the CPLP Bridge (formerly known as Comoro Bridges I and II). It connects the Avenida de Hudi-Laran (transl. Banana Road) in the east with the National Highway 3 in the west.[1]

History

In 2013, the government of East Timor opened the first stage of the new bridge later named the CPLP Bridge, and thereby expanded the number of road lanes crossing the Comoro River from two to four. However, as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had forecast an increase in traffic demand in East Timor for the period 2010–2019, the government also asked the government of Japan to construct an additional bridge upriver of the four lane bridge.[3]

In response, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) despatched a preparatory survey team to East Timor to carry out a field survey in June/July 2013. The survey team's report on the field survey, dated February 2014, proposed the construction of a new two-lane bridge approximately 250 m (820 ft) in length (with allowance for expansion to four lanes), and the development of two-lane access roads approximately 3.2 km (2.0 mi) in total length.[4]

The upriver bridge, then known as the "Comoro Bridge III", was built by Tobishima Corporation of Japan, with a consortium of Ingérosec Corporation, Nippon Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd. and Idea Consultants, Inc. as consultants. The bridge's construction was funded by the Government of Japan, which, through JICA, made available grant aid of up to 2.605 billion yen (approximately US$23.7 million).[1][2]

Work began in mid 2016, and the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone took place on 17 October 2016.[1][3] As part of the work, the new access roads proposed in the field survey report were constructed, including a road near the Tasi Tolu area and a new connection to the roundabout outside the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport.[5][6] The project employed 37 foreigners, 15 local engineers and more than a hundred local workers.[1]

The bridge was opened to traffic on 13 September 2018, a month behind schedule.[1][5] The official opening ceremony was held on 12 October 2018, during a visit to East Timor of the Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno.[1][7] The East Timorese officials who attended were Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, Transport and Communications Minister José Agustinho da Silva, and Public Works Minister Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires.[1]

At the opening ceremony, the official name of the structure, "Hinode Bridge", was announced. The Japanese word "hinode" means "rising sun", an expression used to refer both to Japan (the "Land of the Rising Sun") and to East Timor (the Tetum word for "East", Loro Sa'e, literally means "rising sun").[1]

Description

The bridge in August 2023
The bridge in August 2023

Hinode Bridge is of box girder design, has a superstructure spanning 250 m (820 ft) and consists of six arches, two with a length of 33.7 m (111 ft), and four measuring 45 m (148 ft) in length. The bridge is 11.55 m (37.9 ft) wide, the two lanes are each 3.5 m (11 ft) wide, and there is a footpath on each side.[1][2]

The bridge was intended to be a new alternative route across the river to accommodate increasing traffic between Dili's city centre in the east and its western suburban area, which includes the International Airport and the new seaport at Tibar Bay.[1][5][6] It was expected that the bridge would reduce traffic across the CPLP Bridge.[5]

Additionally, the bridge is now part of the Mikrolet (minibus) line 11, which connects Manleuana Market with Tasi Tolu.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Opening Ceremony of "Hinode Bridge"". Japan International Cooperation Agency. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Sanches, Hortencio (3 September 2018). "Ponte Comoro III Inagura Semana Oin". The Timor News (in Tetum). Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Ministry of Public Works at official launch of the construction of Comoro III bridge". Government of Timor-Leste. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  4. ↑ "Summary". Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Construction of the Upriver Comoro Bridge in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (PDF) (Report). Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). February 2014. pp. i–vi. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Nova ponte na zona oriental da capital de Timor-Leste abre ao público". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Lusa. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Nova ponte em Timor-Leste abre ao público" [New bridge in Timor-Leste opens to the public]. União das Cidades Capitais de Língua Portuguesa [Union of Portuguese-Speaking Capital Cities] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Japan's Foreign Minister Visits Timor-Leste". Government of Timor-Leste. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2022.

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