Timber iQ February - March 2019 // Issue: 42 | Page 28

PROJECTS
The last remains of the Commodore II shipwreck from the Diep River in Milnerton.
Continued from page 24
“We believe this is an important part of history which is
worth preserving for generations to come. As such, going
forward, there will be an information board on the site to
educate the public around this schooner and its story,” said
Alderman Felicity Purchase, City of Cape Town mayoral
committee member for transport and urban development.
TIMBER RESTORATION ON MILNERTON BRIDGE
The bridge was built in 1901 during the South African War by
the Fortress Company of the Royal Engineers – in order to
gain military access to the island’s cannon trench. It was
declared a National Monument by the old National
Monuments Council on 17 July 1987.
The 117-year-old wooden bridge linking Milnerton to
Woodbridge Island was the only bridge of its kind in South
Africa at the time. It is also a provincial Heritage Site and this
status was a key consideration in the decision to restore the
bridge. Another reason for the restoration is the City’s
concerns about public safety. The bridge spans the Milnerton
Lagoon section of the Table Bay Nature Reserve and has been
closed since 2007 due to safety concerns.
The process of restoring the 120m-long bridge would
involve dismantling and rebuilding it, with some of the
repair work taking place under the water. Swissline Design
will be involved in the machining of all the timber to the
engineer’s specifications as well as the installation of main
26 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019 //
piers onto the existing old piers, the installation of the
horizontal beams, bracing beams, the installation of incline
strut plates to piers and then finally the deck installation to
Engineer’s specifications.
A project such as this requires very careful planning
between the main contractor and Swissline even though
there could be any number of unforeseen circumstances
during the restoration project which could only technically
be discovered during the process. The design would remain
the same, except for the addition of an extra handrail, which
was needed in terms of modern design codes.
All the timber will be replaced with Angelim Vermelho,
which is reddish-brown heartwood with a grain that is
usually interlocked with a uniform medium-coarse texture,
and with a moderate natural lustre. This Brazilian heartwood
is rated and very durable and considered to be quite difficult
to work on because of its density and irregular grain as well
as a high cutting resistance – potentially blunting the cutters
– it also has an unpleasant pungent odour when being
worked on.
The entire area surrounding this historic bridge will be a
hive for cyclists, walkers, visitors to the island and again
become part of the living environments that contributes to
the community.
Swissline Design are once again honoured to be part of a
momentous project like this and look forward to a lengthy
process of restoring all the timber elements of the historical
bridge to its former glory.
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