The impressive Sishen Saldanha railway bridge, with a total length of 1.035 km, just outside Lutzville was constructed across the Olifants River on the R363. It is divided into 23 sections of 45m each and each section weighs 610 tons. Although neither the highest nor longest bridge in the country, it is a remarkable display of engineering. The deck of the bridge ultimately weighed 141 000 tons and had to be pushed into position with the aid of hydraulic jacks - the longest bridge in the world to be build by this method! The supporting pillars rest on pylons that were driven 45m deep into the river bed, the highest pillar measuring 52,5 m. The bridge was designed and completed in 1976 under the management of the French company Spie Batignolles.
