Huge lift for Gauteng freeway project
The Lynnwood pedestrian bridge was lifted into place on December 20 (06/01/10) Editing: Darlene Creamer - The South African National Roads Agency Limited's (Sanral's) Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) has come one step closer to completion with the placement of the 140-t Lynnwood Glen pedestrian and pipe bridge on December 20.

The process to lift the bridge made use of the biggest crawler crane in South Africa, with a lifting capacity of 850 t. In order to complete the project, the N1 between the Atterbury and Lynnwood interchanges was closed from 05:00 to 12:00, with the actual lift taking about 30 minutes. [Engineering News]

Property rentals under pressure despite economy improving - Property rental markets continue to “feel the pinch” of weak economic conditions across the commercial, industrial and residential sectors, despite South Africa having emerged from its first recession in 17 years, property consultants Rode & Associates highlighted in its latest report.

The latest ‘Rode’s Report on the Property Market’ indicated that office rentals in decentralised Johannesburg and decentralised Cape Town had recorded yearly growth of below 2% in the fourth quarter of last year. [Engineering News]

Large seawater desalination plant being established in Eastern Cape - Water treatment solutions firm VWS Envig is creating South Africa’s biggest desalination plant through the refurbishment of an existing desalination reverse osmosis (RO) plant for the Albany Coast Water Board (ACWB), in the Eastern Cape.

Once completed at the end of March, the plant, which is situated at Bushmans River Mouth, near Kenton-on-Sea, would have a throughput of 1 800 cubic meters a day. [Engineering News]