Don’t look down!- construction on SA’s R4bn tallest bridge in Africa resumes

The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has confirmed construction of the tallest bridge on the continent, the Mtentu Bridge will resume this week.

The R4.05 billion project in the Eastern Cape, which is part of Sanral’s N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) programme, is designed to have a main span of 260 metres at a maximum height of around 223 metres.

Construction stalled after nearly a year of work, when a previous contract was terminated amid protests in 2018. The development was awarded to the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and MECSA Construction joint venture (CCCC MECSA JV) in November last year.

Completion

Sanral said building the bridge is expected to take 50 months and should be completed by the end of 2027.

“During the mobilisation period, Sanral engaged with stakeholders of both the Northern and Southern banks of the Mtentu Bridge. Local stakeholders have received news of the re-awarding of the contract with excitement and look forward to work resuming following delays caused by the project stoppage in October 2018,” Sanral Southern regional manager Mbulelo Peterson said.

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Jobs

According to Sanral, the project will also provide employment opportunities for locals as the project’s contract sets a local Contract Participation Goal (CPG) of 4%, mandating a minimum spend of R141 million towards local labour in wages and salaries.

“Approximately 1 800 full-time equivalent jobs will be produced during construction.

“While numbers will vary during the contract, this equates to an average approximate number of 360 jobs created per month over 50 months, of whom about 300 will be for locals,” Peterson said.

Construction

Construction of the site offices is expected to start this week, whilst several general labourers will undergo medicals and safety instructions and start clearing the site.

The construction of boreholes will begin on 15 August, whilst the installation of security measures and the relocation of affected households will start on 1 September.

Sanral said the original tender for the Mtentu bridge has also been expanded to allow for enhancements to existing roads, such as an upgrade to an 18km provincial road linking the future Mkhambati Interchange on the N2 to the town of Flagstaff.

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