Msikaba Bridge - Launching Gantry

Designed by the Danish studio Dissing+Weitling, the “Msikaba Bridge” is a steel cable-stayed bridge which, once completed, will cross the Msikaba River, near Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa and will consist of a main span of 580 meters supported by a pair of 127 meter high pylons. The deck will be at an altitude of 194 meters above the valley floor, and will thus become the third highest bridge in Africa.

Seen as one of the Government's strategic infrastructure plans, the project is part of the N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WC) programme, which aims to improve travel time between Durban and East London for heavy goods vehicles.

In 2017, the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) awarded the tender for the construction of the bridge to the Concor Mota-Engil Joint Venture (CMEJV), which includes Concor and Mota-Engil for a total cost of approximately $120 million. Once completed, the route will be 69km and 85km shorter than the current N2 and R61 routes respectively and, thanks to the shorter, flatter route, 1.5 to 3 hours faster. Completion of the works and opening to traffic is estimated at the end of 2025.

During construction, 28,000 cubic meters of concrete, 2,700 tons of structural steel and 2,500 tons of cables will be required. The rest of the works contained in the contract include the construction of 1.5 km of access roads on both sides of the bridge. A temporary gondola system will reduce travel time between opposite sides of the bridge during construction. The cable car takes just eight minutes to cross the gorge, saving considerable time for all staff working on site

The making of this epic bridge was showcased on the National Geographic show "Building Impossible With Daniel Ashville" in episode 2 of season 1.

The mission of LMSteel Consulting sagl was related to Structural and Mechanical Engineering services for the lifting and moving operations of the segments constituting the deck using Launching Gantry (LG) type assembly equipment. Specifically, LMSteel Consulting sagl, in close collaboration with the technical department of Freyssinet France, structural designer of the machine, was involved in the detailed construction design and 3D BIM LOD G modeling considering the geometric and inertial requirements of the segment to be lifted (15.08 m x 22.4 m x 2 m and a weight of approximately 100 t). The "design for manufacturing" project includes the entire steel support structure, related access stairs and maintenance paths and housing of the hydraulic lifting equipment, including tracks and hydraulic power units.

The project was developed by creating the numerical models with Straus7 and the BIM geometric models with Tekla Structures.

More information on the project at the following link:

https://www.concor.co.za/iconic-msikaba-bridge-makes-steady-progress/