Esorfranki Geotechnical has secured two contracts for work at the No. 1 Silo project at Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront.

The first contract comprises the construction of a precast pile wall, some 240 metres long, on the greenfields site adjoining the old silo structure. The wall will be anchored into the 20 metre of earth between the wall and the sea by means of cable anchors. The wall will retain the earth for an excavation within the walled area down to 3.5 metres below mean sea level.

Esorfranki is on track to significantly exceed its pipejacking targets for 2011. The company recently completed a R19-million pipejacking project for WBHO on the Secunda to Sasolburg pipeline, during which it deployed eight pipejacking teams on the project to carry out 1 200 mm and 1 800 mm pipejacks under 23 roads and railway lines.

“Esorfranki has been party to every southern African pipejacking record set to date and has contributed extensively to bringing the viability of the technique to the civil engineering fraternity in Southern Africa,” Anton Naude, Esorfranki’s pipejacking manager, says. “Our expertise in this field dates back to 1978 and includes water supply, railway crossings, gas pipeline and bridge jacking projects across South Africa and neighbouring African countries.”

Eighty mentally challenged young adults will be able to move into new facilities at the Sunrise School in Laudium soon, as a result of Esorfranki Civils stepping in to clear away several thousand cubic metres of soil and build a road and parking lot.

Plant and equipment from the nearby contract, for the construction of the K71 between K103 (Weirda Road) and P39/1 (Laudium Road) being undertaken for the Department of Roads was despatched to work on the project. In addition, dump soil from the school site was removed and delivered to the Esorfranki Civils portable crusher for use as fill on the road building contract.

The construction of a 100 metre long bridge over the Hennops River forms part of a 22 month contract awarded to Esorfranki Civils for the building of a 4.2 km dual carriageway from Wierda Road (K103) past the Zwartkops raceway to Laudium in Pretoria West.

Piling for the new bridge, being undertaken by Esorfranki Geotechnical, is already well advanced. A total of 168 piles are needed for the two decks and a total of 640 tons of steel reinforcing will be used in the construction of the bridge.