ROADS & BRIDGES
Closing the gap Developed for deployment by militar y engineers during the Second World War, the modular steel-truss Bailey bridge (commonly known as the Type 100) was a highly successful invention. Through ongoing refinement by modernday manufacturers, this versatile solution for temporar y pedestrian and vehicle crossings is still in use worldwide, including South Africa. By Alastair Currie
L
ocally, BSE Engineering Group has been spearheading the widespread application of its rendition of the Type 100, delivering on key projects. These include the manufacture and supply of bridge kits for joint Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and Department of Defence and Military Veterans initiatives. One of the most recent is the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme, which was gazetted as a Strategic Integrated Project in July 2020. This national programme serves as a disaster management response, as well as a vital link for communities, particularly schoolchildren, to
reach nearby education facilities without being impeded by rivers and floods. These single-lane bridges are being installed by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel working alongside communities employed as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Current projects are focused on the KwaZuluNatal (KZN) region, with the KZN Department of Transport having allocated funds for 14 bridge installations across the province.
Entering the market Leveraging off its expertise as a specialist steel fabricator, BSE identified a gap in the market for Type 100 bridges around 2006 – a year in which an especially severe series of floods hit South Africa. “We were also aware that there was a stockpile of Bailey bridge sections sitting in
The bridge is supported on either side by gabion abutments
A completed Type 100 bridge
SANDF storage,” explains Elliot Marcinko, CEO at BSE. A series of discussions subsequently led to BSE being awarded an open tender to refurbish older components and start manufacturing new Type 100 units. At the time, these were mainly for projects in the Eastern Cape region. “We subsequently won further tenders, including the fabrication and supply of all 14 bridges for the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme in KZN,” Marcinko continues, adding that BSE provides on-site training, logistical support, and advice on bridge abutment solutions. The latter are constructed using either gabions and gabion mattresses or reinforced concrete. Gabion systems are preferred because they can mostly be filled with readily available local materials by community-based labour. Speed of construction is a major advantage compared to alterative building systems like cast-in-situ or precast concrete. Type 100 bridges are also arguably more pricecompetitive, when considering time and costs.
Incremental launch Depending on the technical terrain challenges on-site, these modular steel bridges can be installed within a few days or weeks by a small team. All the components bolt together, making assembly and future disassembly straightforward. “Although a complete bridge could be placed on its abutments in one go using a crane, this is not practical given the remote location
24
IMIESA August 2021
