Mount Edgecombe Interchange Upgrade
Currently considered to be the largest interchange project in South Africa, the Mount Edgecombe Interchange Upgrade involved shifting an existing diamond interchange layout to a free flow, four level interchange configurations.
The Mount Edgecombe Interchange, located in Durban, South Africa, boasts one of the longest incrementally launched bridges in the southern hemisphere at 947 m long. SMEC, a member of the Surbana Jurong Group, provided the consulting engineering services throughout the nearly decade-long Mount Edgecombe Interchange Upgrade project, which was launched in 2009.
The upgrade includes nine new bridge structures, of which the main feature is two free flow ramp viaducts that are 443 m and 947 m long and 18m and 26m high, respectively. The viaducts were constructed using the Incremental Launch Method to accommodate traffic and elevation constraints, and span lengths vary with the longest spanning up to 65m.
The resulting four-level, free-flow interchange configuration provides for full-width free-flow directional ramps in all directions whilst keeping the geographical footprint of the interchange as small as possible and largely within the constraints of the road reserve.
