Hinode Bridge

The Hinode Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Hinode) (known during the construction phase as the Comoro Bridge III) is a two-lane road bridge in the Comoro suco 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.

Hinode Bridge Ponte Hinode
Coordinates	8°33′40″S 125°32′3″E
Carries	Road vehicles, pedestrians
Crosses	Comoro River
Characteristics
Material	Concrete, steel
Total length	250 m (820 ft)
Width	11.55 m (37.9 ft)
No. of spans	6
No. of lanes	2
History
Constructed by	Tobishima Corporation
Construction start	August 2016
Construction cost	2.605 billion yen (approximately US$23.7 million)
Opened	13 September 2018
Inaugurated	12 October 2018
Hinode Bridge Location in Dili

Location

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

History

Hinode 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 the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), made available grant aid of up to 2.605 billion yen (approximately US$23.7 million). Work began in August 2016, with the symbolic start of construction taking place on 16 October 2016. The project employed 37 foreigners, 15 local engineers and more than a hundred local workers.[1][2]

The bridge was opened to traffic on 13 September 2018, a month behind schedule. The official opening ceremony was held on 12 October 2018, during a visit to East Timor of the Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno. 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]

Technical data

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 45 m (148 ft) in length. It 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 is intended to accommodate increasing traffic between Dili's city centre in the east and its western suburban area, which includes Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport and the new seaport at Tibar. Additionally, the bridge is now part of the Mikrolet (minibus) line 11, which connects Manleuana Market with Tasi Tolu.[1]

References

1. "Opening Ceremony of "Hinode Bridge"". Japan International Cooperation Agency. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
2. Sanches, Hortencio (3 September 2018). "Ponte Comoro III Inagura Semana Oin". The Timor News (in Tetum). Retrieved 23 November 2018.