The Msikaba Bridge is scheduled to become the second longest span crossing ever constructed on the African Continent with a tower to tower distance of 580 meters. Only the Maputo-Catembe Bridge in Mozambique will be longer, having opened in 2018 with a suspension span of 680 meters. The new cable-stayed bridge will also become the third highest bridge in Africa with a deck 194 meters high. This drop is exceeded only by the 216 meter high Bloukrans Bridge and the 223 meter high Mtentu Bridge, also located on the new N2 tollway bypass road.
The Msikaba and Mtentu Bridges are part of an improvement to the older N2 Wild Coast Toll Road that will be 85 kilometers shorter and 3 hours faster. Designed by the Danish firm Dissing+Weitling, the concrete structure will have a deck 22.8 meters wide with walkways on both edges.
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 comprises Concor, a South African-based construction company, and Mota-Engil, a Portuguese construction company at a cost of US$118 million.
It is estimated that 28 000 cubic metres of concrete, 2 700 tons of structural steel and 2 500 tons and 3,100t of steel reinforcing of cables will be needed during construction. The balance of works contained in the contract includes construction of 1,5 km of approach roadworks on either side of the bridge. Expressed in quantities, this will include 650,000m³ of bulk earthworks of which 430,000m³ is hard rock, a conventional three span bridge and four in-situ concrete culverts crossing some of the tributaries.
A significant amount will be spent on projects to benefit the wider community, including upgrading or repairing gravel roads in the district.
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