South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) CEO Reginald Demana has announced the start of Package 4 of the N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) project in the Eastern Cape.

The R2.2-billion phase of the project will be rolled out by the WBHO-Edwin Construction Joint Venture.

Package Four consists of the construction of N2WCR Section 20 between the Lingeni intersection and the Msikaba bridge.

In addition to two megabridges – Msikaba and Mtentu – there are seven major construction packages on the N2WCR project.

Construction work on Package 4 is set to kick off in January following a four-month mobilisation period, says Demana.

Thirty-five percent of the contract value (R700-million) has been set aside for local enterprises.

Demana says while the long-term benefits of the N2WCR project will be realised only once construction is completed, it has already had “significant socioeconomic impact on local communities”.

“On a project of this scale, stretching for 110 km across the Eastern Cape, there will no doubt be challenges, such as the complexity of the engineering, but it is clear that we are making steady progress.

“The main reason for the N2 Wild Coast Road…is because it’s a major connectivity road,” adds Demana.

“It connects four provinces, that is the N2 starting in Cape Town, in the Western Cape, running into the Eastern Cape, and then on to KwaZulu-Natal, and finally into Mpumalanga, which then further connects to neighbouring Mozambique.”

“The significance of the investment here in the Wild Coast is that it reduces the travel distance between Port St John’s and Port Shepstone by 80 km.

“It also reduces the travel time by up to two hours, depending on the type of vehicle you drive,” notes Demana.

“Obviously, with shorter travel distances, it also reduces transport costs. It’s also flatter and, therefore, safer.”

Demana says work on the Msikaba bridge is advancing well, with construction of the bridge deck anticipated to wrap up early next year, and with cable installation expected in the same timeframe.

He says the project has suffered some delays owing to the unavailability of the correct cables in the local market, as well as challenges related to the complexity of the engineering work.

Work on the R2.5-billion Package 5 contract, which comprises the construction of the road connecting Msikaba bridge (north bank) to the Mtentu bridge (south bank), started in April last year, and is expected to conclude in the last quarter of 2027.

On the Mtentu Bridge project, R250-million has been spent on the contract to date, says Demana.

Packages 1, 2 and 3 of the N2WCR are in design and “will soon be implemented”, notes Sanral.