AFRICA NEWS
Bridging communities with Franki Africa’s expertise
Reinforcement is carefully lowered into the cased pile hole.
A magnificent bridge over the Okavango
River in the Mohembo Village area,
which is being piled by Keller’s Franki
Africa for main contractor Itinera/Cimolai
JV, is a shining example of Franki’s
diverse strengths. Here we focus on
Franki’s renowned ability to deliver in
remote and challenging environments.
The bridge, which connects villages
on the east of the river with the rest of
the country, straddles the Mohembo
East (Kauxwi) Ferry landing site with
the Mohembo West (Shakawe) Ferry
landing site.
According to Devendra Lalbasanth,
Franki senior contracts manager, the
1.2km bridge, which consists of two
towers for the cable stayed portion
and 18 piers, requires 189 no.1 200
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JULY 2019
diameter, permanently cased auger piles
at an average of 35m below platform
level. Some of the piles required are
installed to a depth of 50m.
In terms of the ground conditions,
the top 12m consists of alluvial deposits
underlain by soft rock, schists and
gneisses - metamorphic rock developed
from basement granites - and there
were no surprises in this regard as the
Botswana Roads Authority’s geotechnical
investigation, prior to and post the award
of the contract, was thorough.
“More than thorough,” Lalbasanth
says. “In excess of 100 boreholes were
drilled and more than 700 rock-strength
tests were completed. This was one
of the most detailed geotechnical
investigations we’ve ever seen.”
Lalbasanth says that, on the face of
it, the scope of works may seem
like a fairly straightforward task in
geotechnical terms, but the nature
of the site and the surrounding area
(including roads and general access)
were extremely challenging especially
for bringing in the specialised equipment
that was required to do the job.
And it was no ordinary equipment
that was transported to the site. It
included a Liebherr 355 - one of the
largest augering machines in Africa - two
Casagrande B180s, a Bauer BG 18 and
two Liebherr 845 service cranes.
“Getting this equipment to site was
certainly the greatest challenge facing
the Franki team. For example, before
this job the Liebherr 355 was doing
rigid inclusions at Clairwood Logistics
Park in Durban and we converted
it to an auger configuration before
transporting it to Mohembo, 1 500km
away,” Lalbasanth says.
He adds that a huge debt is owed
to abnormal load transport specialists
Transcor Transportation for its efficiency
and perhaps, above all, patience in the
delivery of the equipment. “The trip
from Durban to the site took 14 days!”
As the geotechnical work takes place
on both sides of the river, it was also
challenging getting the plant across the
river. “For this we must thank our clients,
the main contractor, who provided us
with a 150t pontoon for the job.”
To date Franki has completed 50%
of its work. “We look forward to seeing
this bridge completed. The design
shows that it will be a magnificent
structure with both towers literally
towering over the landscape in the
shape of elephant tusks. I thank all
our team, the local residents in the
Kauxwi and Shakawe areas, Transcor
Transporters and our clients, Itinera/
Cimolai JV, for their continued efforts
in ensuring a successful contract,”
Lalbasanth concludes.
Meanwhile Errol Braithwaite, Franki
MD, says that he is proud of the quality
projects that Franki is currently involved
in, especially in this very challenging
economic climate. “There is no doubt
that the construction industry in
southern Africa is facing one of the
most pressured periods in its history;
many companies are having to reinvent
their business models, some will close,
foreign companies are entering the
market, skills are exiting the market and
confidence is down.
“In spite of this, however, I remain
confident about the future. In our own
organisation we are still experiencing
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