Rosso bridge (Mauritania/Senegal border)

[Tim Cullis]

A Chinese company won the €87 million contract for the construction of a bridge over the River Senegal connecting Mauritania and Senegal at Rosso. Construction was supposed to start a year ago and be completed by 2023 but the launch ceremony has only just been held, presumably due to pandemic delays.

As well as saving considerable amounts of time waiting for the ferry, the bridge is intended to allow far higher volumes of traffic. The real problem with the crossing, however, is due to officials, mainly on the Mauritanian side, fleecing travellers, many of whom choose to cross instead at Diama.