Nelson Mandela Bridge

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Nelson Mandela Bridge
Coordinates	26°11′48″S 28°02′03″E / 26.1967°S 28.0342°E / -26.1967; 28.0342
Carries	Road and pedestrian traffic
Crosses	Railway yard (42 lines)
Locale	Johannesburg
Characteristics
Design	Dissing+Weitling
Total length	284m
Height	27m
Longest span	176m
History
Opened	2003
Location

Nelson Mandela Bridge is a bridge in

History

A bridge linking Braamfontein to the Johannesburg city centre was first mooted by Steve Thorne and Gordon Gibson, urban designers, in 1993 in their urban design study of the Inner City of Johannesburg. In their study they named the bridge the Nelson Mandela bridge in recognition of the role Nelson Mandela was having in uniting South African society, and the symbolism of linkage and unity provided by the bridge.

Structural design

The bridge was constructed over 42 railway lines without disturbing railway traffic and is 284 metres long. There are two pylons, North and South, 42 and 27 metres high respectively. Engineers tried to keep the bridge as light as possible and used a structural steel with a concrete composite deck to keep weight down. Heavier banks along the bridge were reinforced by heavier back spans. The bridge consists of two lanes and has pedestrian walk-ways on either side. The bridge can be viewed from one of Johannesburg's most popular roads, the M1 highway.

References