Nelson Mandela Bridge, Road bridge in Braamfontein district, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Nelson Mandela Bridge stretches 295 meters over railway tracks and joins Newtown to Braamfontein with a steel and concrete design supported by two towers of different heights. Separate walkways and a bicycle path run along both sides of the roadway and provide protected crossings over the train lines below.
The bridge opened in 2003 at a cost of 38 million rand and was the fourth of five crossings built west of Park Station. Construction aimed to reconnect neighborhoods after decades of separation.
The name honors South Africa's first democratically elected president and shows the intention to link different parts of the city center. Today pedestrians and cyclists cross daily as part of their commute or when exploring downtown Johannesburg.
The two walkways and bicycle lane allow safe crossing of the 42 train tracks below between the two neighborhoods. At night the structure is lit and remains open for pedestrians and cyclists.
The two pylons have deliberately different heights: the northern reaches 42 meters and the southern 27 meters. This asymmetric design allows the structure to adapt to the elevation difference between the two neighborhoods.
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