V&A Waterfront Clocktower Bridge

Working alongside structural engineers SMEC, the V&A Waterfront Clocktower Bridge was built to replace an existing narrower bridge in order to accommodate the increasing foot traffic, which, following the Waterfront’s expansion, reached 2.4 million annually by 2016.

Eadon played a crucial role in the project, working closely with SMEC South Africa from the start. Together, they conducted a feasibility study to explore different bridge options, configurations, and alignments This led to the development of an outline design for a new swing bridge which would open to let water traffic pass when needed. The design allowed the old bridge to remain operational until the new one was ready, ensuring minimal disruption. Following the outline design stage Eadon provided a detailed design for the bridge’s operating equipment.

The old bridge, built in 1997, was just 2m wide. The new, 55 tonne bridge, which rotates on a slewing bearing similar to those found in a crane tower, is rotated using multiple hydraulic motors. The new bridge is twice as wide at 4m and features a raised central beam designed to direct foot traffic in separate directions.