The bridge on the corner of Zuurfontein Road and Nyathi Street, opposite Birch Acres Mall, is finally receiving attention.
This bridge has been dubbed the ‘bridge of death’ following a number of accidents which happened there.
This newspaper first brought to light the plight of the residents, especially motorists, who are using that road on a daily basis, in June 2019. This is after the Democratic Alliance’s PR Clr Kade Guerreiro conducted an oversight inspection in this ward in May this year, where he noticed the bridge was in a shocking state and needed urgent attention and serious repairs.
Guerreiro argued that concerns regarding this bridge had been reported on numerous occasions, but nothing was being done.
Shortly after this paper’s article, the City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson, Themba Gadebe, committed that the bridge would be given attention.
“The bridge forms part of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) infrastructure, but before it was incorporated into the BRT programme, it was an old pavement structure.
“There are plans to improve it further, including the area in its proximity, for ease of mobility by road users. Designs have been drawn up and approved and a process is underway to appoint contractors,” said Gadebe at the time.
Speaking to this paper, Guerreiro said the DA in Ekurhuleni and residents of Tembisa were happy to see that the city has started repairing the said bridge as they promised.
“I brought the plight of the community into the open as concerns regarding this bridge had been reported on numerous occasions, yet nothing was being done about the huge safety risk.
“It was only after we brought this issue to the attention of the city and further applied pressure on the MMC that the bridge is being repaired.
“It appears that a temporary barrier with reflectors has been placed along the bridge to assist motorists and increase visibility. The MMC of Infrastructure Services has promised swift intervention and repairs to the bridge as well as the intersection,” said Guerreiro.
Also follow us on:
