Artist impression of Msikaba bridge
The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has awarded the Concor Mota-Engil joint venture (JV) the second of two megabridge construction contracts as part of the N2 Wild Coast project.
The R1.65-billion bridge will be built near Lusikisiki over the Msikaba gorge.
Concor Mota-Engil is a JV between civil engineering company Concor and international construction firm Mota-Engil.
Construction on the bridge is due to start in February 2019 and will continue for 33 months.
The bridge will comprise 28 000 m3 of concrete, 2 700 t of structural steel and 2 500 t of cables.
The height of the deck will be about 195 m above the valley floor, making it the third-highest bridge in Africa. The height of the piers will be 127 m and the length of the main span will be 580 m, making it the longest main span constructed by cable-stay method in Africa.
Construction on the nearby Mtentu river bridge started in January.
The R1.63-billion tender for that bridge was awarded to a JV between Aveng Grinaker-LTA and European construction firm Strabag in August last year.