Let’s fix Craighall Park’s storm-damaged Blue Bridge

With so much infrastructure that needs fixing, the Joburg Road Agency (JRA) has unsurprisingly not rushed to repair the storm-damaged Blue Bridge across the Braamfontein Spruit in Craighall Park.

The delay is seriously affecting a wide Delta Park community. After floodwaters bashed the footbridge on the night of 5 March, I asked for emergency funding.

Although the bridge was officially closed on 7 March, it’s still in use. So, too, are nearby makeshift crossings where folk put their lives in danger.

Before 2006, there was no bridge here. It was dangerous. Jennifer Manale, 36, drowned after being swept away while trying to cross upstream from the Blue Bridge in 2004.

Her body was recovered 15km downstream. Hence the original motivation for the bridge was a “safe crossing for domestic workers”.

It’s still a major thoroughfare for countless pedestrian commuters but the existence of the bridge has vastly increased business and recreational activities in the area.

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Jozi Trail cyclists and Park Runners use it, alongside dog walkers, horse riders and many others who enjoy this great green lung in the northern suburbs.

Businesses large and small are affected by the closure. These include cafés, stables, a trader who sells blankets and dogs’ beds, a dealer in artefacts made from wire and beads; an artist selling paintings, and a mobile coffee truck frequented by walker President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Is there anything that makes the pedestrian Blue Bridge more worthy of attention than the 700 or so other Joburg bridges reportedly in poor condition? Perhaps.

A month before flooding, JRA told Rapport that 20 city bridges were on the verge of closure. The Blue Bridge may be slightly ahead of the curve: it is officially closed.

But that doesn’t mean JRA can or will allocate money. In February, JRA needed R16 billion to fix existing bridges.

This is way beyond the R8.49 billion capital expenditure budget for the entire city, of which JRA is allocated R1.027 billion. There is another possible source of funding.

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In a letter to JRA’s acting chief executive, the DA’s Sandton constituency political head, MP Leah Potgieter, said funds were available under a national disaster classification published in the Government Gazette on 7 March this year, in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

She said the severe weather that contributed to the bridge damage “is explicitly included in this classification and Gauteng is among the provinces covered.

“This enables access to national disaster relief funds and mandates coordination across all spheres of government to implement recovery measures, including for infrastructure like the Blue Bridge.”

Private businesses are also offering to help – financially and with professional expertise – to fix the bridge. I am questioned daily by residents, business and community leaders about progress.

Today, 12 weeks since the storm damage, there is still no sign of JRA’s structural assessment report. No work can be done here without approval from JRA and, possibly, from higher authorities, depending on the nature of the tasks.

To nudge this process along, we have launched a petition to fix the Blue Bridge. It’s on the Ward 90 Johannesburg Facebook page, or on X @marttwit.

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