June 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
51
roads & bridges
“SCHOOLCHILDREN AND BREADWINNERS
are forced to wait a
minimum of four hours to get across the bridge, but with the new
bridge being developed, this would drastically improve access to and
from the both countries,” says GIBB’s director: electrical engineering,
Dr Willem Sprong.
The Kazungula Bridge is a pact between Botswana and Zambia,
a bilateral trade tie. The bridge would be instrumental in aiding
Botswana and Zambia to work together, increase trade and assist
citizens’work in either country without work permits.
The project will see leading South African consulting engineering
company, GIBB earn at least R40-million through a joint venture with
Nippon Koei, managing the review of the pre-construction phase and
detailed designs, and ultimately, the construction.
According to Sprong, the Kazungula Bridge is a 960 m bridge to
be built over the next five years. Construction is envisioned to begin
in March 2014 with completion expected for early 2018.
This new bridge will accommodate both road and rail.
“We are responsible for the design review, tender documentation
and supervision of the construction of the Kazungula Bridge proj-
ect,” says Sprong. He added that the bridge will be unique in that it
would consist of two one-stop border posts on either side of the
bridge, which will prevent queues by motorists on the bridge itself.
Other players in the JV working on the project include
Bothagka Burrow Botswana, CPP Botswana and Zulu Burrow
Development Consultants.
“One of the challenges on this project is that there is an annual three
month flooding season on the area and this will potentially hinder the
construction during this period. The team would have to ensure that
they maximise the period before flooding season starts to meet the
appropriate deadlines,”adds Sprong.
●
Kazungula Bridge gets underway
The construction of the USD248-million Kazungula
Bridge will infinitely improve the quality of
life for the thousands of people who are currently
reliant on a ferry to travel to and from Zambia
and Botswana.
