Workers have picked up their tools once more on the beleaguered Mtentu Bridge, local news sources report. Mtentu Bridge is part of the N2 Wild Coast Road project by The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).
Sanral awarded the new contract, worth US$200 million in November 2022 to a joint venture consisting of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and MECSA, a South African firm.
The original contractor, Aveng, pulled out in early 2019 (link opens in new tab). It halted work in September 2018 because of violent community unrest about labour (link opens in new tab).
The new contract awarded to CCCC MECSA is worth more than the original tender because it has an expanded scope. It includes improvements to 18km of road between Flagstaff and Holy Cross and construction of three roads that will give local communities access to the N2 Wild Coast Road. Sanral’s decision to award the contract to a foreign company was met with some criticism, which Sanral quickly countered (link opens in new tab).
The concrete main-span balanced cantilever bridge will have a main span of 260m and a height of 223m. The total length will be 1.1km. The expected completion date is the end of 2027. It was designed by Dissing+Weitling (link opens in new tab).
The N2 Wild Coast project consists of a 410 km route from East London to the border of Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Read about another river crossing on this road project, Msikaba Bridge in Bd&e #111.
