If timelines are met and all goes to plan, South Africa will see two new multi-billion rand mega-bridges opened over the next several years.
Addressing the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on 28 August, Eastern Cape MEC Ntandokazi Capa gave an update on the construction of the Mtentu and Msikaba bridges “that will be a game changer for the province” – which have a combined project value of R5.7 billion.
The mega-bridges are part of the R20-billion N2 Wild Coast Road Project led by SANRAL, which consists of seven multi-billion rand road projects that connect four provinces, namely the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The new route will be 69km and 85km shorter than the current N2 and R61 routes, respectively. Due to its shorter and flatter path, it will save 1.5 to 3 hours of travel time for light and heavy freight vehicles.
Although the projects were awarded in 2019, issues, including construction mafias on the multi-billion rand project, have caused numerous delays.
“These bridges are now being constructed in partnership with the South African National Defence Force,” and the province is convinced that this intervention will mean that they can go full-steam ahead without further delays, said Capa.
Msikaba Bridge
The Msikaba Bridge is currently under construction, and will span the Msikaba River, near Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.
Started in 2019 and expected to be completed in 2025, it has a project value of R1.75 billion and is being constructed by the CME JV, a partnership between Concor and MECSA.
According to the Eastern Cape provincial government, the socio-economic benifets of the project are that of the inclusion of 157 local SMMEs, creating just under 592 jobs and having over 700 locals benefitting from skills development.
It will have a 580-metre deck span and will span over the 198-meter-deep Msikaba river gorge, meaning that the structure will be the longest cable-stayed bridge on the continent, in terms of main span.
It will have the second-longest main span of any bridge in Africa.
Currently, it also ranks as one of the highest bridges in Africa, only exceeded by the Bloukrans bridge, also in South Africa, and will soon be surpassed by the Mtentu bridge.
“We believe that [this record] will enable tourism in the province,” said Capa.
“The last two years have been spent completing the four 21 000-ton anchor blocks and progressing the elegant bridge pylons on each side of the gorge,” said Concor project director Laurence Savage.
“We are now entering some exciting but technically challenging phases.”
Savage stressed that the project is one of great magnitude.
The bridge features two inverted Y-shaped concrete pylons, each with a tall cylindrical spire.
On completion, the pylons on either side of the 580m gorge will stand at a staggering 128 meters and have 17 pairs of main stay cables and back stay cables anchored to them.
Mtentu Bridge
The Mtentu Bridge, now with a project value of R4.05 billion, will run across the Mtentu River in Mbizana in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality, Eastern Cape.
Once completed in 2027 (if all goes according to plan), it will be the highest in Africa and one of the longest main-span balanced cantilever bridges in the world, with a main span of 260 meters and a maximum height of around 223 metres.
The Mtentu Bridge has faced various difficulties since its announcement. The company responsible for building the then R1.6-billion structure, Aveng Strabag joint venture (JV), walked out on the project in early 2019.
“Due to issues of construction mafia, the project collapsed and the contractor left the site,” explained Capa.
The contract, which has now escalated to over R4 billion, was then awarded to the China Communications Construction Company and Mota-Engil Construction South Africa in a joint venture back in November 2022.
The construction restarted on August 5, 2023, and has an expected conclusion date of the end of 2027.
Capa said that the ballooning costs is yet another piece of evidence as to why the state needs to effectively and decisively deal with the construction mafia.
The provincial department said that the socio-economic benefits including having R769 million SMME beneficiation and about 119 sub-contract packages. Around 160 jobs are said to have been created thus far, out of an expected 430 local jobs.
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