The Senqu Bridge, officially opened on 22 April 2026 in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, is a central component of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a binational initiative between Lesotho and South Africa established through a 1986 treaty.
Measuring approximately 825 metres in length and rising about 90 metres above the Senqu Valley, the bridge was constructed at a cost of around R2.4 billion and is the largest of three major crossings designed to span the future Polihali Reservoir! The reservoir, formed by the ongoing construction of the Polihali Dam, will submerge existing transport routes, which will make the bridge a critical replacement that maintains access to Mokhotlong, the A1 national route, and surrounding regions.
Positioned within one of Africa’s most significant water infrastructure systems, the bridge supports a broader network that transfers water from Lesotho’s highlands into South Africa’s Integrated Vaal River System, sustaining economic activity in Gauteng while generating revenue and infrastructure development for Lesotho. Phase II of the LHWP is expected to increase annual water transfer volumes from 780 million to over 1.27 billion cubic metres, alongside expanded hydropower capacity and regional integration outcomes. The design and delivery of the Senqu Bridge, led by firms including one of our partners, Zutari, reflect the technical and coordination demands of high-altitude construction, long-term environmental change, as well as cross-border execution, easily situating the project as both a transport solution and a strategic enabler within a multi-decade system of shared resources and infrastructure development.
Well, would we then say this is what it means to deliver infrastructure that must serve both immediate access and a future that will fundamentally reshape the landscape it sits in?
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