An innovative concept for the widening of fills over an existing sidefill has been implemented on the National Route 2 (N2) across the Great Kei River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Ten retaining walls have been constructed in which soil nails are combined with a mechanically stabilized embankment (MSE) to allow for the accommodation of traffic during construction, widening of the fills and compliance with overall stability requirements. This paper describes the reasons for the selection of this solution and the design and construction thereof. The cost and technical merits of this hybrid structure are compared to alternative solutions. The conclusion reached is that this solution economically satisfies the technical and environmental requirements and has potential to be used more extensively for widening projects in the future. For the covering abstract see ITRD E125786.