Msikaba and Mtentu Bridges
Danish bridge expertise exported to South Africa
The Mtentu Bridge and the Msikaba Bridge, both designed by Dissing+Weitling, is part of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road project on the east coast of South Africa. The cable-stayed bridge design will have as little impact on the precious landscape as possible.
- Location
- Eastern Cape Province
- Category
- Road Bridges and Tunnels
- Year
- 2007 - In Progress
- Client
- The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL)
- Collaborator
- Halcrow (CH2M)
- Size
- 580 m / 1,130 m
The Msikaba Bridge is a 580-meter long cable-stayed road bridge spanning across a spectacular steep green gorge created by the beautiful Msikaba River.
The Mtentu River Bridge is a concrete structure approximately 1,130m long comprising a 260m main span constructed as a balanced cantilever with main piers approximately 160m high, plus approach viaducts constructed using incremental launching methods.
The bridges will play a vital role in improving travel time, connecting previously divided communities in the region and opening up opportunities in business and community-based tourism for the Wild Coast. Once complete, the route will be approximately 85 kilometres shorter than the current route.
Photo: Frans Kromhout Call for experts
The size and complexity of the two bridges are beyond anything built previously in Southern Africa. The Msikaba Bridge is a 580 metres long cable-stayed road bridge spanning across a spectacular steep green gorge created by the Msikaba River. The Mtentu River Bridge is a concrete structure approximately 1,130 metres long comprising a 260 metres main span, plus approach viaducts constructed using incremental launching methods. The design and construction has created a need for highly professional bridge designers and engineers.
The project, which is commissioned by SANRAL – The South African National Roads Agency – has been on hold for almost a decade, but now the funding is in place, and the project up and running again. Project completion is expected for 2027.
Dissing+Weitling is also behind the award-winning Nelson Mandela Bridge, a railway bridge in central Johannesburg.
Mtentu Bridge