Civil Engineering November 2022 | Vol 30 No 10

30 November 2022 Civil Engineering T he Msunduze River Bridge, located in the heart of the Mandeni Local Municipality, is a four-span contin- uous reinforced concrete river bridge, strad- dling a total of 65 m over the Msunduze River. In addition to the construction of the bridge, the works included the upgrade of the gravel Local Road L3110 and its associ- ated stormwater infrastructure. The successful completion of the project has not only improved the level of service delivery for the Nyoni and neighbouring communities by providing infrastructure development, but has also left its mark through the realisation of significant social initiatives that have uplifted and developed the skills of local community members and targeted enterprise contractors. The project surpassed the contract targets in all areas of community-based initiatives such as job creation, contract participation goals, as well as accredited and on-the-job practical training to both local community members and emerging con- tractors. This was realised through detailed planning, social facilitation and the imple- mentation of labour-intensive construction principles via the collaborative effort of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, Naidu Consulting and Icon Construction. Despite the complexities associated with the construction of a reinforced concrete river bridge and the chal- lenges brought about by the Covid-19 national lockdown restrictions, the main contractor, with the extensive participation of the emerging contrac- tors, was successful in overcoming these challenges and successfully completed the project in November 2021 while strictly adhering to quality control and programme-related constraints. PROJECT BACKGROUND Naidu Consulting was appointed by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to undertake the design and construction supervision of the Msunduze River Bridge. The motivating factors for constructing a river crossing were to facilitate safe travel for pedestrians, including scholars and the elderly, as well as to improve access for emergency services and to encourage long- term economic development by unlocking land and promoting public transport to the Nyoni and neighbouring communities. TARGETED ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING Targeted enterprise development is aimed at exposing emerging contractors to a structured entrepreneurial development programme and to provide proactive man- agement support with on-the-job practical training and mentorship. The outcome is to ensure that emerging contractors develop their commercial, managerial, practical and administrative skills, enabling them to take on more complex construction projects and SANRAL SA I CE 2022 Nat i onal Awards Category: Commun i t y- based The construction of the Msunduze River Bridge No. 3202 on Local Road L3110 WINNER Community-based category KEY PLAYERS Client: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport Consultant: Naidu Consulting Contractor: Icon Construction Construction underway on the Msunduze River Bridge