e-mosty March 2019 Long Span and Multiple Span Bridges | Page 35

Figures 3 and 4: Location of the Bridge on the map
Source: Google maps
For hundreds of years the ferry route connected
the City of Maputo with the opposite bank. The
ferry services were operated by unseaworthy
vessels or sometimes disrupted by cyclones.
A permanent link to replace the ferries became the
source of debate for a number of decades until
2014 when the crossing became real with the
proposed bridge solving forever the above
mentioned problems.
With Pylons reaching up to a height of 143 metres
the Suspension Bridge is without doubt an
impressive landmark of the city Maputo, for
Mozambique and for all Africa.
The Bridge was under construction for
approximately 3.5 years. The Bridge has been in
use since the end of 2018 when it was handed
over to the Mozambican Government.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE
LAYOUT OF THE BRIDGE
The total length of the whole crossing is 3,003m.
The North Approach Bridge length is 1,093m,
measured from the abutment to the Suspension
Bridge North pylon.
The South Approach Bridge length is 1,230m,
measured from the abutment to the South pylon.
The main Suspension Bridge, the longest in Africa,
has a total length of 1,224m between the
anchorages and comprising a central span of
680m.
There is an overlap between the back spans of the
suspension cables and the approach viaducts as
shown in the layout.
The North Approach Bridge is made up of two
different bridge types. Measured from the
abutment the 8 No. spans were constructed as a
Precast Beam Bridge. The maximum span is 30m.
It then continued with the construction of one of
the most challenging bridge construction stages in
the world, a Free Cantilever Bridge (FCB) with a
total length of 853m and having a maximum span
of 119m.
At the beginning of this section viewed in plan, the
FCB alignment is highly curved and has a 6% cross
slope. It then straightens briefly before a reverse
curve leading up to the Suspension Bridge section.
Adjacent to this is the three span Suspension
Bridge of which the spans are 260m + 680m +
284m = 1,224m.
The South Approach Bridge comprises a Precast
Beam Bridge. T-beam precast beams lengths vary
from 45m to 30m. The total length is 3 x 45m + 3 x
45m + 3 x 45m + 5 x 30m + 5 x 30m + 5 x 30m + 4 x
30m + 4 x 30m = 1,230m. Close to the abutment
the bridge is also on a curved alignment (see
below).
The South Approach Bridge was constructed
conventionally with linked spans of Precast Beams
with an in-situ deck, with movement joints every 3
to 5 spans.
1/2019