The Building Bridges Expedition successfully completed a 37m suspended footbridge across the North Rukuru River at Uledi, a remote community on the north‑western edge of Nyika National Park in northern Malawi. The five‑member student team returned to finish the work begun by the 2006 expedition, which had constructed the towers and anchor blocks but was unable to install the cables due to shipping delays.
The team spent their first week in Lilongwe gathering supplies and resolving a complicated customs issue to release the previously shipped steel cables. With support from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, the import duty was waived after extensive negotiations. From Lilongwe the team travelled north via Mzuzu, Rumphi, and Nyika National Park to the isolated village of Uledi.
Upon arrival, they cleared overgrown vegetation and re‑surveyed the 2006 works. Construction then focused on installing the handrail and walkway cables (11 mm and 26 mm), tensioning them using pulley systems, and attaching 38 pairs of suspender cables. Pre‑assembled wooden decking units were then laid across the span using high‑ropes safety equipment. Additional engineering works included building earth embankments, constructing retaining walls of earth‑filled sugar sacks, and protecting both riverbanks using logs, boulders, wire mesh, and even discarded railway track sections.
The bridge was officially opened on 25 July 2007. The completed structure now provides year‑round river crossing, allowing villagers consistent access to schools and markets and enabling park scouts to patrol against poaching during the rainy season. The expedition concluded with strong community ownership and positive ecological and social impact.