2020
SAISC Steel Awards
Southern African Institute of Steel Construction Annual Awards
The New Replacement Swing Bridge , V & A Waterfront
OVERALL WINNER , BRIDGE CATEGORY WINNER
The V & A Waterfront ( V & A ) is situated in South Africa ’ s oldest working harbour . V & A had an existing swing bridge that was an efficient structure that opened and closed up to 60 times a day , carrying up to 2.4mn people per year . It was , however , 22 years old and the 2m wide walkway could no longer cope with the numbers of pedestrians . The team was commissioned to design a new wider bridge .
The Engineering Brief
• The new bridge had to be equally as quick and efficient , effective and reliable as the existing ;
• The construction cost had to stay within a tight budget ;
• The works had to limit the disruption to the public , the V & A and the environment .
Both steel and FRP were considered at the early stages as the only materials that were light enough to limit the loads on the moving mechanical parts and to limit the foundation size . However , as the design progressed the use of steel was the obvious choice . Its advantages were :
• Its strength enabled the creation of a stiff yet slender pylon as well as a relatively shallow central spine beam .
• The material is robust and can withstand some impact .
• It created a relatively light weight structure that limited the power needed to move the bridge .
• The fabrication expertise was available in Cape Town .
• It enabled the bridge to be fabricated offsite and easily assembled on site and lifted into place .
• It gave great opportunity to sculpt a beautiful structure .
54 Steel Awards