Bridge on R28 caves in following heavy rainfall
Traffic was backed up heavily after a bridge across the R28 had collapsed.
Readers would be happy to know that the backup of traffic on the R28 on Thursday morning 5 December was not because an E-toll gantry being put up, but for maintenance on a cable bridge that had collapsed early this morning.
Although the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) only started repairs this morning, motorists were being diverted to alternative routes to and from Randfontein since the previous night to prevent serious incidences while the authorities assessed the situation.
According to WRDM spokesperson Refentse Mangope the municipality received a report that the bridge had collapsed at approximately 6am.
“We immediately deployed the municipality’s disaster management and emergency service to safeguard the scene,” he says.
“Fortunately no one was injured.”
Public safety traffic officers were deployed to redirect traffic.
The extent of the damage has not been established yet as assessments are still being done.
WRDM urges those who make use of the road to be patient while the repairs are under way and says it is not possible at this stage to say when the R28 will be reopened.
“The duration depends on various factors, including the availability of contractors over the festive period,” says Mangope.
He says that the bridge is part of the infrastructure of one of the oldest municipalities in the country and estimates that it is over 40 years old.
