Name of the Project
N2 Wild Coast Toll Road (N2WCTR) megabridge projects.

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

The Msikaba bridge is located on the N2, which connects the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces, and traverses the cities and major towns of Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mthatha, Durban and Ermelo. This includes a brand-new greenfield section of 112 km between Port St Johns and Port Edward.

Project Owner/s
South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

Project Description
The Msikaba and Mtentu bridges form part of the N2WCTR project.

The 1.13-km-long Mtentu bridge, which includes a 260-m-long main span, will be one of the longest main-span-balanced cantilever bridges in the world. Only ten prestressed concrete girder bridges worldwide have a main span of 260 m or longer. Reaching heights of more than 220 m above the river valley, it will displace the Bloukrans bridge, in the Western Cape, as the highest bridge in Africa and the southern hemisphere. The 141-m-tall Pier No 9 will also be the tallest bridge pier in Africa and the southern hemisphere.

Being one of the longest main-span-balanced cantilever bridges and one of the highest bridges in the world makes the construction of the Mtentu bridge a technically highly challenging project. The remote location and local social dynamics add to this complexity.

The 580-m-long Msikaba bridge will be the longest main span – constructed using the cable-stayed method – bridge in Africa, and the second-longest main bridge span in Africa after the Maputo-Catembe suspension bridge, in Mozambique. With a deck height of 194 m above the river valley, Msikaba will become the third-highest bridge in Africa and the 133rd highest in the world. The Msikaba bridge cable-stay design will ensure that the construction of the bridge will have no direct impact on the pristine gorge environment almost 200 m below, which is one of the environmental requirements in building the bridge.

Potential Job Creation
Work on the N2WCTR project will create 8 000 direct full-time jobs and between 21 000 and 28 000 indirect jobs during the construction phase. This translates into a wage bill of about R750-million.

Once the road is completed, ongoing maintenance work will create another 900 direct, full-time jobs and about 19 000 indirect jobs.

Capital Expenditure
The Msikaba bridge project will cost an estimated R1.65-billion and the Mtentu bridge project R2.5-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
The N2WCTR project started in 2011; however, the major greenfield portion of the route between Port St Johns and Port Edward started only in 2016.

Provided that there are no significant delays on the Mtentu bridge project, the construction period is estimated to be 49 months, including a four-month mobilisation period.

The Msikaba bridge project is in the early construction phase, following an extended initial ramp-up period. Construction started in January 2019 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Latest Developments
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged communities to support the development of the N2WCTR project, stating that stoppages are counterproductive and are detrimental to not only contractors but also the country.

Sanral has finalised the bidding process for the Mtentu bridge project and construction is expected to resume “soon”. Provided there are no more delays, the bridge could be completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026, the President has said.

The Amadiba Crisis Committee has sent Ramaphosa a memorandum, urging him to support their battle against the N2WCT project. The toll road, they argue, will divide the community and threaten the livelihood of community members.

However, Ramaphosa has highlighted the socioeconomic and enterprise development benefits of the N2WCTR project.

About R4-billion will be spent on targeted enterprises during the construction period. This will ensure that investment in the project will be ploughed back into communities. An estimated R120-million has already been invested in to local small enterprises as part of upgrading and linking roads, and there are several more projects in the pipeline, he has explained.

By regulating that a minimum of 30% of expenditure is earmarked for targeted enterprise subcontractors and suppliers, about R4-billion will flow to small-, medium-sized and microenterprises from the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts.

The Wild Coast road will be a key enabler for tourism and regional trade, creating a trade corridor along the Indian Ocean coastline, from Cape Town to Gqeberha, East London and Durban, and to Ermelo, in Mpumalanga.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Suppliers
Concor Mota-Engil JV (Msikaba bridge contract); HVA Joint Venture (Msikaba and Mtentu bridge consultants comprising CH2M and SMEC); V3 Consulting Engineers (lead consultant – Ndwalane to Ntafufu and Kulumbe to Mtamvuna river); ERO Engineers (lead consultant – Ntafufu to Bambisana turn-off); Naidu Consulting (lead consultant – Bambisana turn-off to Lingeni); Aurecon Rohm consortium (lead consultants – Lingeni to Msikaba); Knight Piesold (lead consultant – Msikaba to Mtentu); and KBK Engineers (lead consultant – Mtentu to Kulumbe).

Contact Details for Project Information
Sanral project manager Craig McLachlan, tel +27 41398 3200 or email MclachlanC@nra.co.za, or for technical aspects Sanral bridge network manager Edwin Kruger, tel +27 12 844 8000.