Century City, often dubbed the city of cranes due to the extraordinary amount of development taking place there, is rapidly becoming a city of bridges.

Construction of the first five of nine new bridges is currently underway and when completed will bring to 25 the number of bridges that serve to provide vehicular and pedestrian access over the 6,5km of waterways that meander through the 250ha rapidly developing city within a city.

Of the bridges now being built, three will provide vehicular and two pedestrian access with the latter also being wheelchair and golf-cart friendly.

Construction of a further three pedestrian bridges including one with a lift which is to span the Grand Canal between The Island Club and Canal Walk shopping centre will get underway later this year as will a fourth vehicular bridge which will provide access to an exclusive single residential development to be built on a man-made island alongside Intaka Island nature conservation area and due to be launched in late 2006.

Four of the new bridges currently under construction – two pedestrian and two vehicular – will provide access to the landmark KnightsBridge luxury apartment towers scheduled for completion  by mid-year. The 15-storey KnightsBridge development is being built on a man-made island and wharf spanning the Grand Canal near the Canal Walk shopping centre.

The new bridges, which are being built at a total cost of about R30million, are part of a R260m bulk infrastructure roll-out taking place at Century City to support R4,3billion in new residential and commercial developments underway with no less than 11 tower cranes currently erected on seven different buildings sites with more to come.

Mark Bezencon, development manager for Century City Property Developments, said the bridges were an important element of the new urbanist environment being created at Century City and served to link and integrate all the various commercial and residential elements of the development.

“In so doing they will make it much easier for people – pedestrians, joggers and cyclists as well as motorists - to move around our city fulfilling the new urbanist principle of creating an environment where it is possible to live, work, shop and play all within easy access to each other.”

In addition, he said, each bridge was being individually designed to provide a variety of architectural styles and aesthetics and adding a further layer of interest to Century City as a whole.

“Great attention is being paid to lighting of the bridges to maximize their beauty and the reflection off the waterways at night and in time we see the bridges of Century City providing an attraction in themselves.”