La Mercy M4 bridge reopens

The M4 bridge at La Mercy was officially reopened at the weekend, but the one at Westbrook is likely to take at least another year before repairs will be completed.

This was revealed at Saturday’s reopening ceremony at the La Mercy site, which represented one of the first significant local infrastructure repairs since the April and May floods.

Repairs were undertaken by the provincial Department of Transport (DoT) at a cost of just over R22-million.

Work was contracted to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), while a portion of materials to begin the repairs were donated by the La Mercy community.

“Let us show that this bridge not only serves to join two areas, but also to join the communities who have united to overcome the devastation of the floods. It has stimulated the spirit of ubuntu and unity, irrespective of our racial divide, religious differences or whether you are rich or poor,” said KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) premier Sihle Zikalala.

The M4 is a major feeder road to the communities of La Mercy, Desainagar and Seatides who have been forced to use a convoluted series of stop and goes over the past few months.

With the washaways between the bridge and Umdloti also repaired, the road is now open between the first Desainagar circle and Durban.

There remains serious work to be done between the circle and Westbrook, where the most significant damage is at a sinkhole near Boy’s Town.

By Saturday, the sinkhole repair was at 85% and it is expected to be opened by the end of this week, KZN DOT chief director Siboniso Mbhele said.

The SANDF will move along the road until repairs are complete, with total costs of repairs between Umdloti and Westbrook set to reach more than R100-million.

As for the remaining bridge on the M4 at the Tongaat River, repairs are still at least a year off, with no confirmed timeframe on temporary access.

“We are in the process of securing a steel bridge to use as a temporary crossing platform. This will be constructed slightly upriver of the current bridge. The current bridge will be dismantled and rebuilt in this time and we hope this will be done by the middle of next year,” said Mbhele.

Aside from the road repairs, Zikalala has outlined two further interventions to be undertaken with his oversight.

The first is to repair the oThongathi Water Works which he said should be completed by the end of August.

The second is to rehome the many flood-affected residents who are still living in community halls.

“We have met with Tongaat Hulett to buy land to provide housing for these people. We expect the agreement to be signed this week. At first the homes will be temporary, but they will become permanent in time,” he said.

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