Launched at the end of 2017, the project had encountered opposition from local residents, leading to the suspension of work and the award of the contract to a new joint venture.
SANRAL, South Africa National Roads Agency, has announced the start of physical work on the Mtentu Bridge, planned to become one of the tallest and longest in Africa.
According to the planned architecture, it will be built over a length of 1,133 metres, with a main span of 260 m and a maximum height of around 223 m. The work, budgeted at 4.05 billion rand (approx. 211 million USD), will be carried out over a 50-month period by the joint venture formed by China Communications Construction Company and MECSA Construction.
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The infrastructure is part of SANRAL’s N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) program, which includes a 410 km stretch of road from the city of East London to the Mtamvuna River, on the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
In addition to facilitating the crossing of the Mtentu River, the bridge will offer time and cost advantages for travel on the national toll road, the N2 Wild Coast. It will also act as a catalyst for business opportunities and local tourism.