Egyptian Minister of Transport Ibrahim Dimeiri opened on a trial basis train and car bridges over the Suez Canal, said Al Ahram Daily.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will inaugurate the project, one of the largest such structures in Egypt and the entire world, in October.
A delegation of top-ranking diplomats from Japan, which helped fund the bridges, is scheduled to attend the ceremony.
An official source at the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation has told the press that the Japanese government had donated the sum of $100 million to finance the project.
“This huge donation by Japan is the first of its kind in the history of the Japanese economy and evidence of Japanese confidence in the Egyptian economy, as well as the depth of the political and economic ties between the two countries,” added the source.
The source said that the project was started in 1997 and took less than five years to complete, despite its huge scale. Local companies participated in the construction work.
The source added that the bridge was now tested and ready to serve rapid transport services to and from the Sinai Peninsula. The slow transport system using ferryboats will be cancelled, he added.
“The project will contribute to national development efforts which include the cultivation of 400,000 acres of land, in addition to putting an end to the isolation of the Sinai and facilitating the commercial and transportation activities to and from the area,” said the source - Albawaba.com
