South Africa has started construction on the new Mtentu Bridge, which is set to be the tallest bridge on the continent upon its completion with a peak of 223 metres.
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) confirmed that the bridge is being built in a collaboration between the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and MECSA Construction, with an estimated budget of around R4.05 billion.
Ambitious project
The Mtentu Bridge will be built across the river of the same name within the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipality in the Eastern Cape, and will be 223 metres tall at its highest point when finished, making it the tallest bridge in Africa, according to Sanral.
It will also be one of the longest main-span balanced cantilever bridges in the world, measuring 260 metres from end to end.
The construction phase is expected to take 50 months, putting the estimated completion date somewhere around October 2027, said Sanral.
The initial site establishment, including the construction of the on-site offices, will start this week, while the general labourers will undergo medical and safety instructions and begin clearing the site, according to BusinessTech.
Borehole installations will begin on 15 August, while security measures and the relocation of affected households in the area will take place from 1 September.
Sanral had previously announced that the project would begin construction in March 2023 but then entered into a four-month mobilization period ending on Friday, 4 August, where it engaged with stakeholders on both the northern and southern banks of the Mtentu River.
Msikaba Suspension Bridge, Eastern Cape.
The new bridge forms part of the N2 Wild Coast Road Project, serving a 410km-long stretch of road from East London to the Mtamvuna River that marks the border with Kwa-Zulu Natal.
It has a local labour Contract Participation Goal (CPG) of 4%, meaning that R141 million (excluding VAT) will be paid out to at least 1,080 workers over the course of the contract.
“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,” said Mbulelo Peterson, Sanral’s Southern Regional Manager.
The Wild Coast Project also includes other infrastructure upgrades in the Eastern Cape, such as the Msikaba Bridge, which began construction in January 2023 and will be the longest suspension bridge in the country when finished, being 580 metres long and hanging above the 195m-deep Msikaba gorge.
Sanral said that 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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