India-backed Thilamale bridge reaches key milestone as Vilimale and Gulhifalhu are linked

New Delhi: The India-backed Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) in the Maldives reached a milestone on Friday with the installation of the final bridge segment connecting the islands of Vilimale and Gulhifalhu in the North Male Atoll, near the capital, Male.

The development creates a continuous bridge structure from Male through Vilimale to Gulhifalhu, although the wider four-island network is still under construction and has not opened to traffic.

The Maldivian infrastructure minister, Abdulla Muththalib, announced the milestone in an official X post, congratulating the Indian contractor Afcons Infrastructure, the consulting firm Arup and his ministry’s project team. He described it as a significant achievement and thanked the Indian government for its continued support.

The Indian high commission in Male also highlighted the development in an official X post on Saturday. The mission describes the GMCP, commonly known as the Thilamale Bridge, as a major infrastructure initiative intended to strengthen transport connectivity, economic integration and logistics across the Greater Male region.

The $500m project will connect Male, the residential island of Vilimale, Gulhifalhu and the industrial island of Thilafushi through a 6.74km network of bridges, causeways and connecting roads.

India is financing the project through a $100m grant and a $400m line of credit from its Export-Import Bank. The grant is non-repayable assistance, while the line of credit is a loan.
The implementation agreement was signed on August 26, 2021, during the administration of the then president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Permanent construction began on August 2, 2022, when the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and Solih virtually initiated the first concrete-pouring ceremony.

The latest milestone follows the installation of the final structural segment connecting Male and Vilimale on August 22, 2026. The Vilimale-Gulhifalhu section, about 750 metres long, was completed on Friday.

According to the Maldivian infrastructure ministry’s October 28 update, overall construction had reached 80.32 per cent before the latest segment was installed. Road surfacing, safety barriers, lighting and connecting infrastructure remain unfinished, and the government of the president, Mohamed Muizzu, is targeting completion in 2027.

Male is densely populated and faces pressure on housing, roads and public infrastructure, while neighbouring islands offer room for residential, industrial and commercial expansion. By connecting the capital with emerging residential, industrial and port facilities, the project is expected to create a more integrated economic corridor, supporting urban expansion, trade logistics and long-term development across the Greater Male region.

Once operational, the bridge network could reduce dependence on ferries, improve access to employment and essential services, and ease the movement of goods between the capital and surrounding development areas.

The project is also relevant to Thilafushi, where the Maldives is developing a new commercial port to relieve congestion at Male’s existing harbour. Maldives Ports Limited began transferring container clearance operations to Thilafushi on Tuesday, the first phase of the planned relocation.