Cape Town's Famous Half Bridge
Bridge to Nowhere
Cape Town's famous Unfinished Bridge has a simple reason for being unfinished.
For decades, the infamous half-built Foreshore Freeway Bridge has decorated Cape Town's north entrance.
After debates and discussions in the 1940s and 1950s on preparing for the anticipated traffic boom in Cape Town, construction of the freeway took off in the early 1970s.
🏗️ In 1977, however, all construction was halted.
Some theories have emerged as to why the project was stopped. One is that the construction and engineering teams made a calculation error, meaning the two sides wouldn’t line up (I have heard this one many times).
Another is that a shopkeeper refused to sell his shop, which stood where the flyover would pass, and thus, the construction had to be stopped.
💵 The reality is much more boring: the official explanation to date is that the city had run out of money, with traffic numbers not justifying its continuation, and the project had to be abandoned.
Over the years, the structure has become somewhat of a tourist attraction and is also a popular location for movies and fashion shoots. Side note: Cape Town has a great film industry; many famous movies shoot scenes there.
As recently as 2018, plans were drawn up to finish the bridges, but these fell through.
If you have info about what is planned (if any), let us know!