Name and Location
Great Walk bridge project, Gauteng, South Africa.

Client
Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA).

Project Description
The project forms part of Johannesburg’s Corridors of Freedom initiative, which aims to develop well-planned transport arteries linked to interchanges dedicated to mixed-use development and undoing apartheid spatial planning. 

The project involves the construction of a pedestrian and walkway bridge, linking the Alexandra and Sandton areas, in Johannesburg.

The bridge is intended to address the needs of those who use nonmotorised forms of transport by providing a high-quality, safe walking and cycling facility.

The commuter bridge, which will traverse the M1 highway and run alongside the existing Grayston interchange, forms part of a planned 5-km-long cycling and walking corridor from the heart of Alexandra to the Sandton central business district and will accommodate the 10 000 daily commuters that currently travel between the two centres.

The structure will comprise a 250 m concrete bridge, with an 8 m deck to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

The pedestrian and cycling lanes will each be 3 m wide, with a 2-m-wide barrier in the middle, solar-powered light-emitting diode lighting, hawker stalls, benches and shrubbery, as well as closed-circuit television cameras installed along the route.

To ensure universal access, the pedestrian walkway will not have steps or similar barriers, making it wheelchair-friendly, while local artists will be selected to render artworks along the length of the bridge.

The dedicated walking and cycling path will start at Number 3 Square, in Alexandra, and will follow Roosevelt street, Watt street over Louis Botha avenue, and Rautenbach street, before meeting the new bridge across the highway and continuing along Grayston drive onto Katherine street and Linden street before terminating at the corner of Maude and 5th streets.

Value
R130-million.

Duration
The project will be completed by October 2016, while work on the sidewalks and cycle lanes linking the bridge to Alexandra and Sandton is due for completion by the end of 2016.

Latest Developments
The JDA broke ground on the pedestrian and cycling bridge, linking the primarily low-income Alexandra township with nearby Sandton, in March this year.

About 40 jobs will be created during the construction phase, while a further ten people will be employed to maintain the structure on a permanent basis.

The bridge has been designed by engineering group Royal HaskoningDHV and will be built by construction contractor Murray & Roberts.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Royal HaskoningDHV (bridge design) and Murray & Roberts (construction contractor).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
JDA, tel +27 11 688 7851, fax +27 11 688 7899 or email info@jda.org.za.
Royal HaskoningDHV, tel +27 11 798 6000, fax +27 11 798 6005 or email corporate@rhdhv.com.
Murray & Roberts, tel +27 11 456 6200, fax +27 11 455 2222 or email info@murrob.com.