Name of the Project
N2 Wild Coast Toll Road (N2WCTR) megabridge project – Mtentu bridge. 

Location
The bridge will be built over the  Mtentu river gorge, near Lusikisiki, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

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

Project Description
The  Mtentu bridge forms part of the N2WCTR project.

The 1.13-km-long 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 (equivalent to a 40-storey building in height) will also be the tallest bridge pier in Africa and the southern hemisphere.

Consequently, the construction of the Mtentu bridge is technically a highly challenging project, with its remote location and local social dynamics adding to its complexity.

Potential Job Creation
The project has a local labour contract participation goal of 4%. This will result in at least R141-million being paid to local labour, creating a minimum of 1 550 full-time-equivalent jobs for local skilled and unskilled persons during the contract.

About 2 350 full-time-equivalent jobs will be created during construction, and while job numbers will vary during the contract, an average of 520 jobs will be created every month over 50 months, of which 350 will be filled by locals.

Capital Expenditure
R4.05-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
The contract was awarded to the China Communications Construction Company and Mota-Engil Construction South Africa (Mecsa) joint venture on November 1, 2022. Construction started in August 2023.

At the time, construction of the bridge was expected to take 50 months, with completion targeted for the end of 2027; however, it has faced several delays. No revised completion date has yet been confirmed.

Latest Developments
The project has suffered a further delay, with Sanral citing unforeseen construction challenges.

Sanral spokesperson Lwando Mahlasela has said work on site has fallen behind schedule, owing to unforeseen circumstances encountered during the construction of the snaking access roads to all bridge piers on the northern and southern sides. These difficulties pertain to geotechnical, drainage and slope-stability issues.

The contractor has submitted a formal motivation for the delay, which is under review, in line with the provisions of the contract. No revised completion date has yet been confirmed.

This is the second attempt to build the structure, after the Aveng Strabag joint venture withdrew from the project in early 2019, following months of violent community protests.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Dissing+Weitling (bridge design); Mota-Engil Construction South Africa and China Communications Construction Company (main contractors); HVA JV (Msikaba and Mtentu bridge consultants comprising CH2M and SMEC); 

Adjacent Contracts
WBHO/H&I JV (main contractor), Knight Piésold (lead consultant – Msikaba to Mtentu); and KBK Engineers (lead consultant – Mtentu to Kulumbe).

Contact Details for Project Information
Sanral, email pressoffice@nra.co.za.