Stellenbosch’s Smart City Vision Becomes Reality as Construction Begins

The Bridge at Stellenbosch moves beyond planning with active infrastructure work and its first business tenant on site.

A massive new smart city project in Stellenbosch, South Africa, is moving past the planning stages and starting to take shape, with infrastructure development and business reorganization occurring.

The project is called The Bridge at Stellenbosch and was first made public in late 2024. It is being promoted as a unique integrated urban hub and has the support of the Stellenbosch Municipality as well as Wesgro, the Western Cape's investment and travel agency.

Key bulk infrastructure has already started construction and the project's industrial precinct has its first tenant. Earlier this year, Smith Power Equipment, an established player in the agricultural machinery sector, constructed offices and a new warehouse inside the property.

Major transportation connections that will facilitate the development of the smart city are also being prepared by construction teams. In late 2025, the development of a new rail underpass and dual highway from Old Paarl Road began. This bridge, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, will provide connectivity to the nearby N1 and R101 highways.

The Bridge was built to be a site where locals can live, work and play without having to travel far. Between Cape Town, Paarl and the Stellenbosch Winelands, the entire build-out covers over 340 hectares. Up to two thousand eight hundred residential communities, business districts, retail establishments and public amenities like schools and parks are all part of the design.

The town's history as a hub for education and business is further reinforced by the master plan's space for health services, housing facilities and innovation hubs connected to Stellenbosch University.

The project's design, according to the developers, would capture the essence of the area with green areas and ordinary paths and a variety of architectural styles inspired by the nearby Winelands. Over the next fifteen to twenty years, the smart city is expected to be completed.