The Paul Sauer Bridge, also known as the Storms River Bridge, is a

deck arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side, and partiall ...

over the

Storms River Storms River () is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The river mouth is located in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The 5 day Otter Trail starts at the Storms River mouth. See also * Tsitsikamma National Park * Paul Sauer ...

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 ...

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 bridge is located on the

Garden Route The Garden Route (Afrikaans: ''Tuinroete'') is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant ...

section of National Route 2, between

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

. At a maximum height of above the Storms River, it was the highest concrete arch in Africa until the Bloukrans Bridge, , opened on the same road in 1984. It is named after

Paul Sauer Paul Oliver Sauer ( 1 January 1898, Wynberg, Cape Town - 11 January 1976, Stellenbosch) was a South African Cabinet Minister and lifelong member of the National Party. Background Sauer was born in Wynberg near Cape Town in 1898 as the third ...

Structural design

The bridge was designed by Italian engineer

Riccardo Morandi Riccardo Morandi visiting Palace of Justice Competition. Riccardo Morandi (1 September 1902 – 25 December 1989) was an Italian civil engineer best known for his innovative use of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, although over the ...

, and constructed by

Concor 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 ...

between 1953 and 1956. It spans and sits above the river. The main span of the bridge consists of a reinforced concrete arch structure spanning between two concrete abutments located on the western and eastern sides of the river. The deck of the bridge consists of three main spans, the center span between the two abutments and the two approach spans up to the joint above the abutments. The reinforced concrete deck is supported by the arch by means of 12 sets three reinforced concrete columns or struts.

Construction of the bridge

The main arch structure was constructed in a unique fashion: the complete arch was divided into four semi-arches which were built with climbing formwork in an essentially vertical position on opposite sides of the gorge. These were then rotated and lowered into position in pairs to meet at the centre, thus forming the completed arch structure.

Maintenance

The Paul Sauer Bridge was renovated in 1986.

References

External links

* Bridges in South Africa Arch bridges Bridges completed in 1971 Concrete bridges Deck arch bridges {{SouthAfrica-struct-stub