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December 09, 2004
Spanning the gap.
The Garden Route along the South Eastern Cape coast between George and the Storms River is a area of outstanding natural beauty and some spectacular scenery. The bridge spanning the Storms River gorge, also known as the Bloukrans Gorge, has shortened the route by a considerable distance. The Bridge replaced a "pass" that wound down to the river bed and then climbed labouriously back up the other side through a series of hairpin turns and bends. The distance from top of the bridge to river bed is almost 1 kilometre, the distance across the bridge is 2 kilometres. The distance shaved off the road by spanning the gorge and cutting out The Pass is just under 15 kilometres!
The spectacular arch of the Bloukrans Bridge - a feat of engineering which created the highest and longest single arch bridge span in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Bridge was created by "pouring the arch" in two "raised" halves, draw-bridge fashion. These were then lowered by huge pulley and cable arrays very slowly into place so that the two halves met and locked. Once started the lowering process could not be stopped, only the rate of descent could be controlled. The engineer responsible was asked afterward what he would have done if it had failed, and his reply was succinct. "Jumped in after it!"
The bridge now houses a walkway on the arch leading to a platform from which Bunji Jumps are conducted. Some idea of the size of the bridge can be gained by looking very closely at an enlarged version - and a small blue dot can be seen directly below the centre of the arch about a third of the depth of the picture below it. That is the "catcher" awaiting the next "jumper" so that a harness can be attached to haul them back up.
Not for the faint-hearted, I think.
Posted by The Gray Monk at December 9, 2004 10:15 AM