Abstract

The Msikaba and Mtentu River Bridges are located in the Wild Coast Region of South Africa and are

being developed for client South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL). They are required as

part of the overall plan to relocate the main north-south N2 highway through the Transkei to

shorten overall travel times and to provide much improved access to one of the poorest regions of

South Africa. Msikaba is a 580 m span cable-stayed bridge with pylons located at the gorge edge

and no backspans; Mtentu is a 1.1 km long viaduct with a 260 m central balanced cantilever span.

The project will be transformational for the Eastern Cape Province and local area, providing much

needed socio-economic benefit, through new jobs and transport links that will be a catalyst for

improvement, investment and development. This paper will show that the concept of a megastructure

needs to be seen in the context of the project and the community it serves.

Keywords: Mega-structures, Cable stayed, balanced cantilever, environment, community

development, post-tensioned, incremental launch, composite.