The award recognises the quality of SANRAL’s engineering and project management skills and underlines its capability to work with contractors, suppliers and labour to deliver world class projects. 

The impressive new bridge across the Olifants River in the Western Cape has caught the eye of industry experts, winning one of South Africa’s most prestigious awards for construction.  

The majestic structure, which has become a landmark on the N7 in the Cederberg region, was recently completed as part of the upgrading of the N7 from Cape Town to the Namibian border.  

This is one of the most important commercial and trade routes in southern Africa. 

The SANRAL flagship project, valued at R161-million, consisted of the construction of a new road and bridge across the river, adjacent to the old structure which was deemed to be unsafe and incapable of handling large volumes of traffic.  

The excellent design and construction work, which was tackled by a team led by project manager Elma Lourens, was recognised by the Concrete Society of Southern Africa which bestowed its highest honour, the Fulton Award, on the project. 

Awarding excellence 

The award celebrates excellence in concrete engineering and architecture. The project design was undertaken by Aurecon and Stefanutti Stocks acted as contractors.  

The project presented unique engineering challenges when it came to ensure that the foundations were strong enough to withstand the severe weight loads coming down on the arch.  

Approximately R60-million of the budget was allocated to small- and medium sized businesses, which had a significant impact on the local economy. 

In line with SANRAL’s transformation policy some R3-million of the R13-million wage bill was allocated to women.  

“We are very proud of the women who have embraced these opportunities and are contributing to a more representative road construction industry,” said Lourens.  

The award recognises the quality of SANRAL’s engineering and project management skills and underlines its capability to work with contractors, suppliers and labour to deliver world class projects.