A magnificent bridge over the Okavango River in the Mohembo Village area.  

installation of bored piles at the okavango river bridge in botswana

The project

Okavango Bridge which connects villages on the east of the river with the rest of the country, straddles the Mohembo East (Kauxwi) ferry landing site with the Mohembo West (Shakawe) ferry landing site. The 1,2km bridge consists of two towers for the cable stayed portion and 18 piers.

The bridge site lies close to Botswana’s border with Namibia just to the north and the project will improve transport connections between the two countries.

The challenge

The nature of the site and the surrounding area, including roads and general access, was extremely challenging especially for bringing in the specialized equipment that was required for the job amongst which was a Liebherr 355 – one of the largest augering machines in Africa. 

As the works took place on both sides of the river, it was also a challenge to get the plant across the river, which was made possible by the main contractor who provided a 150t pontoon to move the plant.

The solution

The works entailed the installation of 204 No. 1200mm diameter, permanently cased bored piles to an average depth of 35m below platform level.  Some of the piles required were installed to a depths in excess of 52m.

Project facts

Owner(s)

Ministry of Transport and Communications

Keller business unit(s)

Keller South Africa

Main contractor(s)

Itinera/Cimolai JV