Zimbabwe govt dismisses Birchenough Bridge crack claim

The Government has dismissed claims circulating on social media that a photograph showing a cracked steel bridge connection depicts the iconic Birchenough Bridge over the Save River.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development said the structure shown in the photograph was not Birchenough Bridge and urged the public to rely on official communication for information about the country's infrastructure.

"The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is aware of a photograph currently circulating on social media showing a crack at a steel bridge connection, which some members of the public have described as being Birchenough Bridge over the Save River," the ministry said.

"The Ministry wishes to reassure the travelling public that the structure shown in the image is not Birchenough Bridge."

The ministry said its position was based on significant structural differences between the bridge depicted in the photograph and Birchenough Bridge.

It explained that Birchenough Bridge is a steel arch suspension bridge with a specific load-bearing system.

"Birchenough Bridge is a steel arch suspension bridge, and it carries its loads through a very specific arrangement," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the road deck is supported by longitudinal steel members known as stringers, which are in turn supported by transverse cross beams or cross girders.

The cross beams are suspended at each end by vertical hangers, which are themselves supported by the steel arches spanning the Save River.

The ministry said this design transfers the weight of the bridge deck and traffic through the stringers, cross beams and hangers before ultimately transferring the loads into the arches and down to the abutments on either side of the river.

The bridge therefore has no piers or supports standing in the river beneath it.

By contrast, the structure shown in the circulating photograph is a riveted steel truss, or lattice bridge, according to the ministry.

Such bridges carry loads through interconnected steel members joined by riveted gusset plates rather than through an arch-and-hanger system.

"The structure in the photograph works on an entirely different principle: it is a riveted steel truss (lattice) bridge, in which loads are carried through a framework of steel members joined by riveted gusset plates, and not through an arch-and-hanger system at all," the ministry said.

It added that the arrangement of steel members visible in the photograph was also different from that of Birchenough Bridge.

The clarification comes amid growing public scrutiny of Zimbabwe's road and bridge infrastructure, with images of damaged infrastructure frequently circulating on social media.

The ministry urged motorists and members of the public to verify such claims through official Government channels before sharing them.

Birchenough Bridge, one of Zimbabwe's best-known bridges, carries traffic across the Save River and is an important link between Manicaland and Masvingo provinces.