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The Msikaba Bridge is a cable-stayed steel deck bridge, currently under construction, spanning the Msikaba River, near
Lusikisiki
Lusikisiki is a town in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rustling sound of reeds in the wind, named by the local Xhosa people. Lusikisiki is inland from a ...
in the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
The Msikaba Bridge forms part of the N2 Wild Coast road (N2WC) project, which aims to improve the travel time between Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
and East London
East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
for heavy freight vehicles.
The making of this epic bridge was shown in the National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
show "Building Impossible With Daniel Ashville" in Episode 2 of Season 1.
Bridge design
Designed by the Danish firmDissing+Weitling
Dissing+Weitling is an architecture and design practice in Copenhagen, Denmark. The founders and namesakes Hans Dissing and Otto Weitling founded the firm upon the death of Arne Jacobsen as a continuation of his office where both had been key emplo ...
, the bridge when complete will have a main span of 580m supported from a pair of 127m-tall pylons. The deck will be 194m above the valley floor, making it the third highest bridge in Africa.
Contract award
In 2017 the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) awarded the tender for the bridge's construction to the Concor Mota-Engil Joint Venture (CMEJV), which comprisesConcor
Concor Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. is a South African construction and mining services company. It is active throughout Southern Africa, involved in civil engineering, buildings, roads and mining projects. Concor returned as an independent ...
, a South African-based construction company, and Mota-Engil
Mota-Engil is a Portuguese group in the sectors of civil construction, public works, port operations, waste, water, and logistics.
The chairman of the board of directors is António Mota and Gonçalo Moura Martins is the company's CEO. Jorge C ...
, a Portuguese construction company at a cost of US$118 million.
Construction timeline
It is estimated that 28 000 cubic metres of concrete, 2 700 tons of structural steel and 2 500 tons of cables will be needed during construction. The balance of works contained in the contract which includes construction of 1,5 km of approach roadworks on either side of the bridge. Expressed in quantities, this will include 650,000 m³ of bulk earthworks of which 430,000 m³ is hard rock, a conventional three span bridge and four in-situ concrete culverts crossing some of the tributaries. A temporarygondola lift
A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...
system will reduce travel time between opposite sides of the bridge during construction.
See also
*List of bridges in South Africa
Historical and architectural interest bridges
Major road and railway bridges
This table presents the structures with spans greater than (non-exhaustive list).
See also
* Transport in South Africa
* Numbered routes in South Africa
* Rail ...
*List of highest bridges in the world
This list of highest bridges includes bridges with a deck height of at least . The of a bridge is the maximum vertical drop distance between the bridge deck (the road, rail or other transport bed of a bridge) and the ground or water surface ben ...
References
{{reflist Bridges in South Africa Bridges under construction N2 (South Africa) Cable-stayed bridges