Expedition Report
The College “Building Bridges” expeditions in 2006 and 2007 travelled to Uledi village in northern Malawi to construct a 36m suspended footbridge in collaboration with local people and the National Park authorities. Subsequently the expedition team were contacted by the local authorities and informed that the bridge had been vandalised. One of this expedition's aims was to visit the Uledi bridge site to carry out an inspection, and to develop a plan for any necessary repairs and maintenance. In addition the expedition planned to visit other communities, identified by Non-Government Organisations, to assess their needs for a footbridge.
Of the two expedition members, one was a current College student and the other a former student, and both had participated in the earlier expeditions to Uledi. This revisit took place from late July to early September, and it was possible to re-employ the driver used in Malawi in the earlier years, who also became engaged in the bridge repair process.
The National Park in northern Malawi had agreed to provide the materials required for the repair, and to transport them to Uledi. A key part of the repair process was to involve the local community, as had been the case when the bridge was built, however on this occasion women were included, which had not been the case previously. It was noticeable that the community were more skilled in construction processes than they had been previously.
The repairs required included the bridge handrails, which had been cut and removed, and the decking which was rotten. However the expedition were now informed by the National Park Authority that they were unwilling to provide the materials unless the expedition paid for them, a situation resolved by a call to the Minister for national parks in Lilongwe, the capital.
The repair process involved collecting sand, gravel and large rocks, excavation for new anchor blocks for the new hand rails, constructing embankments, concreting, river bank protection, and building and installing new decking units. When the team left the site, all the tasks had been completed except for installing the hand rails, as the rope which had been provided was deemed to be unsuitable, as opposed to chain which should be used instead. It is hoped that with coaxing from the team, the community will complete the repairs before the rains come.
In addition to funding provided by the Exploration Board this expedition was supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers, Atkins, Mott MacDonald, DMM, and S3i.
