Hatch completes construction of Sandton Rea Vaya bus rapid transit bridge
“Our scope of work focused on Section 8, which commences from the Gautrain Station in Sandton, down West Street and Katherine Drive, where we then cross the M1 motorway and rejoin Louis Botha,” said Cliff Weideman, Hatch’s design lead, project manager, and contracts engineer on the project.
Working in partnership with the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), the new bridge and related construction will allow for faster travel and less congested traffic in this area. Apart from the iconic cable-stayed bridge over the M1 motorway, the project included the major rebuild of the old two-lane Sandspruit Bridge, which could no longer accommodate the heavy traffic volume on Katherine Street between Grayston Drive and Marlboro Drive, and has been expanded to accommodate six lanes.
The multi-million rand Sandton BRT bridge is, in fact, one of two new bridges being built over the M1 motorway between Alexandra and Sandton as part of the Rea Vaya network extension. The other, about 1.5 km south of the Sandton BRT bridge, is a cycling-pedestrian bridge that will run alongside the Grayston Drive bridge, according to the JDA.
The Cable Stay Bridge is 250m long, extending from Gautrain Station in Sandton across the M1 Motorway. Comprised of 5 sections, this lengthy distance needed 15.77 mm diameter and low relaxation parallel wire strands stay cables that created an anchor over one of the busiest urban motorways in South Africa.
“This has been a fantastic project from an engineering point of view, as it encompassed roadworks, the iconic bridge, and related infrastructure, all in a live environment. It showcased our exceptional bridge design, project management, and construction supervisory capabilities,” Weideman added.
The new BRT is set to open at the end of this month.