For more than three years residents have been waiting patiently for construction on the South Road Bridge to be completed.
In October 2017, residents were notified that the road would be closed ‘until further notice’ due to a sink hole compromising the road’s integrity. The sinkhole developed after heavy rainfall damaged the structure and increased the erosion at the foundation, consequently leading to its collapse.
Behind the scenes it took nearly two years for Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) to get the required authorisations for the culvert-type bridge to be built, and construction eventually began in June 2019. From the start the team working on the bridge has encountered one problem after another – usually related to the water pipes and electricity cables running through the site.
In February, the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) for the project, Mdu Myeza, confirmed that Joburg Water had sorted out the issues with the water pipes, and JRA and City Power were in contact to sort out the power cables. The subcontractors were able to work around the power cables until the issue was resolved when City Power came to cut the cables and install a temporary power line that will be in use until the conclusion of the project.
The last published completion date for the project was May 2020, but the national state of disaster and nationwide lockdown postponed completion yet again. The labourers have returned to their duties since being forced to halt construction and despite the site being flooded due to the heavy downpours experienced during lockdown, the project is once again back on track.
The South Road Bridge is now at 70 per cent completion, and Mdu has confirmed that it will be completed by the last week of November. The 15 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) labourers initially employed on the project have been increased to 25, and another six will be joining the ranks soon to speed up the completion of the project.
