Running from east to west, the Gambia River is completely encompassed by the country of The Gambia, which is in turn surrounded by Senegal except along its western Atlantic coast. Situated roughly in the center of The Gambia and near the city of Farafenni, the Senegambia Bridge, spanning the Gambia River, opened to traffic on Jan. 23 after seven years of construction, greatly reducing the travel time between northwestern and southwestern Senegal.
The journey from Dakar, on Senegal's north coast, to the southwestern city of Ziguinchor once required driving all the way around The Gambia, which could take days, or waiting for an unreliable ferry. It now takes around five hours. Private vehicles are charged a toll of $5.