Bridge of the Horns

The Bridge of the Horns (Arabic: جسر القرن الإفريقي, romanized: Jisr al-Qarn al-ʾIfriqiyy, lit. 'Bridge of the Horn of Africa') is a proposed construction project to build a bridge between the coasts of Djibouti and Yemen, across the Bab-el-Mandeb, between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It would be constructed by Al Noor Holding Investment and would have six lane highway and quadruple-track railway in the centre of the highway. In 2010, it was announced that Phase I had been delayed. As of August 2023, nothing more has been heard of the project, and it is currently presumed to be indefinitely suspended or cancelled.

Prospective structure

The length of the bridge is estimated at 29 km (18 mi), with a total cost of around USD20 billion. It was proposed by the Dubai-based firm Middle East Development LLC headed by Tarek Bin Laden. The opening date was expected to be in the year 2020.

To clear submarine and surface vessels, the proposed bridge would have the longest suspension span in the world measuring 5 km (3.1 mi). The overall length of the entire bridge spanning the Red Sea, starting in Yemen, connecting to the island of Perim, and continuing on to Djibouti on the African continent, would be roughly 28.5 km (17.7 mi). It would have to allow very large ships of the Suezmax size in both directions simultaneously.

It was anticipated that about 100,000 cars and 50,000 rail passengers would cross the bridge daily.