Gourits River Bridge

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The Gourits River Bridges

The Gourits River Bridge ( Afrikaans : Gouritsrivier Brug , English Gouritz River Bridge and Gourits River Bridge ) is a combined rail and road bridge on the Worcester – Voorbaai railway line between Albertinia and Hartenbos and the N2 national road between Albertinia and Mossel Bay in the south of South Africa . It is located in the Western Cape Province and crosses the Gouritz River gorge . Today it is out of order and has been replaced by a road bridge and a railway bridge.

Historic bridge

The original Gourits River Bridge was established in March 1892 by Governor of the Cape Colony opened Sir Henry Brougham hole. The steel viaduct was designed by Sir Benjamin Baker . This bridge is a combined rail and road bridge, where rail and road traffic used the same lane. If a train crossed the bridge, it was closed to traffic. For a long time after it was closed, the bridge was used for bungee jumping. However, the provincial administration of the Western Cape closed the bridge to pedestrian traffic for safety reasons.

New road bridge

It is a reinforced concrete bridge , 270 meters long and 75 meters high , which was built south of the old bridge. On November 10, 1977 it was opened by Lourens Albertus Petrus Anderson Munnik, the then administrator (1975–1979) of the Cape Province . The bridge was designed by MESSRS Liebenberg & Stander Consulting Engineers Capetown (afrikaans: MNRE Liebenberg & Stander Raadgewende Ingenieurs Kaapstad ).

The new railway bridge (1986)

New railway bridge

About 60 meters north of the historic bridge is the railway viaduct, which was built using steel construction. The Worcester – Voorbaai railway, which runs parallel to the N2, runs over this bridge - as it did before over the historic bridge. The new railway bridge was completed in 1931. The cost was £ 85,000  and a total of 1,535 tons of steel was processed. It was considered the highest Cape Gauge Bridge in South Africa - until 1973 an even higher one over the White Umfolozi near Richards Bay was put into operation.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ South African History Online : Gouritz River . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
  2. ↑ SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPORT, March 1979, p. 161: THE GARDEN ROUTE-3 / New Cape Central to the sea by AA Jorgensen

Coordinates: 34 ° 11 ′ 8 ″  S , 21 ° 45 ′ 14 ″  O