Name of the Project
N2 Wild Coast Toll Road (N2WCTR) megabridges project.

Location
The bridges will be built over the Msikaba river gorge and the Mtentu river gorge, both near Lusikisiki, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

Client
South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

Project Description
The Msikaba and Mtentu bridges form the backbone of the greenfield portion of the N2WCTR project – one of government’s 18 Strategic Integrated Projects. 

The greenfield section of the N2WCTR extends from Port Edward, in KwaZulu-Natal, through Lusikisiki, to Port St Johns, in the Eastern Cape. 

This section is a new road and, without the bridges, will not be able to be completed.

The 1.13-km-long Mtentu bridge will be one of the longest main-span-balanced cantilever bridges in the world. 

Reaching heights of more than 220 m, it will displace the Bloukraans bridge in the Western Cape as the highest bridge in Africa and the southern hemisphere.

The 580-m-long Msikaba bridge will be the longest-span cable-stayed suspension bridge in South Africa.

The cable-stayed design will ensure that the construction of the bridge will have no direct impact on the pristine gorge environment 200 m below, which is one of the environ-mental requirements in building the bridge.

Pedestrian sidewalks and view sites, which will provide special viewing points for tourists, will be built on either side of the bridges.

Potential Job Creation
Semiskilled and unskilled labour will be sourced locally and local small, medium and micro-sized enterprises contractors and suppliers of goods and services will be used to meet the required contractor participation goals on the two projects, creating much-needed jobs and local economic development.

Value
The Mtentu bridge will cost R1.634-billion. The Msikaba bridge tender has not been awarded yet.

Duration
Construction of the Mtentu bridge started in January and is scheduled to take about 40 months.

Latest Developments
The retender process for the construction of the Msikaba bridge opened in November 2017 and closed on April 11, 2018. 

Construction is expected to start in the last quarter of 2018 or in early 2019 and will be completed within about 36 months.

The previous Msikaba tender was cancelled, as no acceptable tenders were received.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Aveng Strabag joint venture (Mtentu bridge).

On Budget and on Time?
The Mtentu Bridge construction started in January.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sanral project manager Craig Mclachlan, tel +27 41398 3215 or email MclachlanC@nra.co.za or for technical aspects Sanral bridge network manager Edwin Kruger, tel +27 12 844 8038 or email krugere@nra.co.za.