Only overseas builders able to construct Wild Coast bridges – Sanral

Five international companies have been short-listed by the South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) to build two mega bridges valued at R3.5-billion as part of the N2 Wild Coast toll road.

The agency said the size and complexity of the two bridges were beyond anything previously built in Southern Africa and according to Sanral Southern Region manager Mbulelo Peterson: “The pre-qualification criteria included the necessity to have experience in building a similar type and scale of bridges. No South African engineering company has this experience by themselves.”

The national road agency was quick to point out that South African contractors would work with whichever international firms were selected for the project. Peterson added that cement and steel needed for the construction of the two bridges would be sourced from local producers.

According to Sanral the firms vying for the construction of the Msikaba bridge and Mtentu bridge were from Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Korea.

Sanral project manager Craig MacLachan said the short listed consortia were in Pondoland last week Wednesday and Thursday for a briefing and site visit.

“These tender briefings are typical for all major infrastructure projects and allow potential bidders to be briefed on the tender document, to visit the site first hand to familiarise themselves with conditions on the ground and most importantly to ask questions for clarity or additional information,” MacLachan said.

The Msikaba Bridge, located near the Mkambati Nature Reserve, will be a 580m-long cable-stayed structure spanning a deep gorge through which the Msikaba River flows.

The 1.1km Mtentu Bridge, to be located just outside Xolobeni, will span the Mtentu River, just 12km north of the Msikaba River.

A Sanral presentation states that the  Mtentu Bridge is to have a 260m main span constructed as a balanced cantilever with the main piers about 160m high.

MacLachan said the site visits had gone well.

Included was a viewing of drilling into the rock core that would form the foundations of both bridges.

The pre-qualified bidders are now required to prepare their tender proposal documents.

Each tender will also have contractor participation goals to ensure meaningful participation by local labour and SMMEs.

Said Peterson: “Both tenders have a Contract Participation Goal requirement, which means the local labour and local SMMEs have to be used.

“Through this requirement, we will ensure increased usage of local resources, redress skewed employment and ownership patterns through black economic empowerment, create opportunities for job creation and poverty alleviation, and stimulate skills development and transfer, and fast-track growth of SMME’s.”

The successful bidder will be announced towards the end of this year.

The tender site visits were followed by that of Transport Minister Dipuo Peters and roads MEC Thandiswa Marawu on Saturday.

Marawu spokesman Phumzi Zuzile said the political principals visited the site to show Pondoland King Ndamase Ndamase and King Zanozuko Sigcau the route the N2 toll road is to follow and where the bridges are to be constructed.

“The minister and the MEC also showed the royals various business opportunities that would benefit the two nations as a result of the project. The kings were happy with the report especially the issue of job opportunities,” Zuzile said.

The N2 toll road is a 410km stretch from East London through Butterworth and Mthatha up to the Mtamvuna River on the border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.