VISITING MANDELA BRIDGE

The Nelson Mandela Bridge is a bridge in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was completed in 2003, and cost R102-120 million to build.[1][2] The proposal for the bridge was to link up two main business areas of Braamfontein and Newtown as well as to rejuvenate and to a certain level modernize the inner city. The bridge was constructed over 42 railway lines without disturbing railway traffic and is 284 metres long.

There are two pylons, North and South, and are 42 and 27 metres respectively. Engineers tried to keep the bridge as light as possible and used a structural steel with a concrete composite deck to keep weight down. Heavier banks along the bridge were reinforced by heavier back spans. The bridge consists of two lanes and has pedestrian walk-ways on either side. The bridge can be viewed from one of Johannesburg’s most popular roads, the M1 highway.