A major Brooklyn intersection has now been operating without functioning traffic lights for months, despite repeated complaints, investigations and promises of intervention.

Motorists navigating the University and Lynnwood roads intersection daily say the prolonged outage has created chaos during peak traffic hours and accuse authorities of failing to urgently resolve what many describe as a serious public safety risk.

The intersection, situated along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line 2B construction route, is one of the busiest roads in Pretoria east and serves as a key access point for residents, businesses, schools and medical facilities in the area.

Resident John Smith said motorists have been left to fend for themselves while authorities continue arguing over responsibility.

“This has created a very dangerous situation for us as motorists, especially at peak hours, and we have been reporting the issue to Tshwane, but nothing has been done,” said Smith.

Smith said he believes the outage is directly linked to construction work taking place in the area.

“We went past there [in November 2025] and they were digging and the next moment, there’s the power out and it’s been out ever since,” he said.

He said he started to report the matter to the metro in December last year.

According to Smith, contractors working on the BRT project should take accountability if underground cables were damaged during construction activities.

“They’re busy constructing, they’re going to move cables, so one of them is going to have to take accountability,” he said.

The ongoing disruption comes amid continued construction linked to the metro’s BRT Line 2B expansion project along Lynnwood Road.

The project has already caused lane closures, excavations and traffic congestion over the past year, frustrating many residents and businesses in Pretoria east.

Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller said residents are increasingly angry over what they see as a lack of accountability from both the metro and the contractor.

“It’s still out and it’s a disaster. The roads are a mess,” Muller said.

According to Muller, conflicting explanations from the contractor and the metro have only deepened frustration among residents.

Muller said a witness present (John Smith) during construction activities allegedly confirmed that contractors struck the underground cable supplying power to the traffic signals.

“We had a meeting with a guy who was the witness who said it was definitely their fault. He was there when it happened,” she said.

According to Muller, the contractor allegedly accepted responsibility during that meeting before later changing its position.

She added that the prolonged outage has become even more concerning because the intersection remains heavily congested while nearby construction work continues.

The metro, however, maintains that technical challenges are preventing repairs from being completed.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the traffic signals remain non-operational because there is still no power supply reaching the intersection.

“Further assessments have also identified additional damage to certain components of the traffic signal infrastructure.”

Mashigo said investigations established that the outage is linked to damaged electrical cables as well as infrastructure damage at the intersection.

However, technical teams are still struggling to locate the exact underground fault, according to him.

“The delay is primarily due to damaged electricity supply cables servicing the intersection, which have not yet been fully repaired.”

He stated that locating the exact point of failure has proven technically complex and continues to require detailed fault-finding processes.

Mashigo said the city’s Electricity Department, Traffic Signals Unit and the BRT contractor are working together to restore the intersection.

“Resolving the matter requires a co-ordinated approach between the City of Tshwane and the BRT contractor, with both parties actively collaborating to facilitate restoration of the intersection,” he said.

According to Mashigo, the underground infrastructure damage linked to the outage has already been formally assessed.

He said technical engagements between the relevant stakeholders remain ongoing to determine the most effective repair solution.

Mashigo also confirmed that further inspections were conducted after the April inquiry.

“Additional inspections were conducted by the Traffic Signals Unit, during which further on-site infrastructure damage was identified. These findings have informed the current co-ordinated technical intervention process,” he said.

He said a joint on-site engagement involving the metro’s Electricity Department, the Traffic Signals Unit and the BRT contractor was scheduled for May 7 in another attempt to identify the fault and begin repairs.

“Once the exact location of the fault has been identified, the necessary repairs can proceed to facilitate restoration of the traffic signals.”

In the meantime, OUTsurance points duty personnel continue assisting motorists at the intersection during morning and afternoon peak traffic periods.

Mashigo said no confirmed accidents or incidents have formally been recorded at the intersection since April.

Previously, BRT Line 2B project manager Isabella Khorommbi denied that construction activities caused the outage, saying the power failure occurred after work had already stopped for the day.

She maintained that the contractor was not responsible for repairing the fault and said the issue was reported to the metro for intervention.

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