A major intersection in Brooklyn has been left without functioning traffic lights for over two months, raising serious safety concerns among residents and road users.

The traffic signals at the corner of University and Lynnwood roads have been out of operation since December 19, 2025, following a power outage.

Despite power being restored shortly afterwards, the intersection has remained dark ever since.

According to Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller, the issue was first officially reported on January 1, under the reference number 3891.

“Since then, multiple escalations have followed, including a submission to the metro COO on February 25,” said Muller.

Muller said the prolonged outage has turned one of Pretoria east’s busiest intersections into a hazard.

“The contractor responded to the City of Tshwane that the power went out on December 19 due to a power outage. When power was restored, the intersection remained off and never came back on,” Muller said.

She said what is deeply concerning is that no one has come out to test and determine why the intersection remained off after the outage.

According to Muller, for 74 days now, residents and motorists have been left at risk.

The intersection is located along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line 2B route, a major infrastructure project intended to improve public transport connectivity from the N1 interchange on Atterbury Road, through Lynnwood Road, and into the Pretoria CBD via Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

However, ongoing construction in the area has added to traffic disruptions, with lane closures, excavations, and now non-functioning traffic signals compounding safety risks.

Muller said the situation has been further complicated by conflicting accounts between the BRT contractor and the metro.

“The BRT contractor says it is the City of Tshwane’s responsibility, while the city points back to the contractor. In the meantime, a critical intersection remains without traffic lights,” she said.

Muller has called for urgent intervention and accountability.

“This is not just an inconvenience, it is a serious safety hazard. The city must urgently investigate, fix the fault, and ensure that accountability is taken,” she said.

According to the metro, the outage is linked to construction-related damage.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the issue stems from ongoing BRT expansion works.

“The temporary loss of power to the affected traffic signals is linked to ongoing Bus Rapid Transit expansion works currently underway in the area,” Mashigo said.

“During the course of these activities, underground electrical infrastructure supplying the traffic signals was inadvertently damaged, resulting in the outage.”

Mashigo added that the metro is working with the project team to resolve the issue.

“The city is working closely with the project team to address the fault as a matter of urgency, and repairs are being prioritised to safely restore power to the affected intersections.

“In the interim, motorists are urged to approach the affected intersections with caution and to treat them as four-way stops.”

Despite these assurances, questions remain about the exact cause of the failure and the delay in repairs.

BRT Line 2B project manager Isabella Khorommbi suggested that the outage may not be directly linked to construction activities.

“The outage happened on December 19 when the site had already closed. Before then, we had electricity,” Khorommbi explained.

“So it was not caused by the construction. When the outage happened, that’s when this section also did not have electricity.”

Khorommbi added that communication with metro officials has been ongoing, but the contractor is not responsible for fixing the electrical fault.

“When we notice issues, we notify the metro and wait for them to come and fix it. That is the process,” she said.

She also indicated that while there have been reports of underground disturbances, the exact nature of the damage remains unclear.

“When you are working, sometimes you just see smoke coming out. I don’t know what happened to the cable,” she said.

The ongoing disruption comes as the metro confirmed that the BRT Line 2B project along Lynnwood Road is now expected to be completed by March, more than a year after the original deadline of November 2024.

Motorists navigating the intersection are forced to rely on caution and informal right-of-way decisions, increasing the risk of collisions, especially during peak traffic hours.

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