Stage 1: Emergency Replacement of the damaged rail over road bridge on the Sishen-Saldanha Iron Ore Line, near Vredendal.
Stage 2: Construction of a new permanent prestressed concrete box deck to replace the emergency bridge deck.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Transnet Freight Rail appointed Mowana Engineers to perform an emergency inspection, detail design and implementation of a temporary emergency bridge to replace the severely damaged strategic rail bridge on the 861km long Sishen-Saldanha Iron Ore heavy-haul railway line. The original bridge was severely damaged when an excavator, transported on a low bed vehicle, collided with the bridge deck.

The damaged deck was replaced with a temporary bridge within 7 days and the railway line was reopened to rail traffic 9 days after the accident occurred.

The temporary deck was replaced with a new prestressed concrete box deck, 2 years later.