New barriers on Sjampanje bridge

The Sjampanje Street bridge has eventually been properly closed off.

Concrete barriers and huge heaps of sand now completely block access to the bridge, where numerous crashes have occurred during the last few months due to people ignoring the road closure.

The Roodepoort Northsider has been continually reporting on the status of the now infamous bridge, which was closed for traffic after it sustained severe damage from erosion due to heavy rains in December 2023.

The heavy rainstorms resulted in a wall of water damaging a culvert under the bridge, which severed a main sewerage line and left many electricity pylons along the stream – one right next to the bridge – vulnerable to collapse.

The sewerage line has since been repaired and stonework was implemented to secure the pylons, yet the bridge remained closed to traffic.

• Also read: Sjampanje bridge to remain closed

Motorists refused to heed the road closure though, and kept circumventing the Johannesburg Road Agency’s (JRA) efforts to maintain the closure, They moved or skirted around the plastic barriers placed across the road and drove over it, much to the irritation of residents.

According to Willowbrook, Ruimsig, Amarosa, and Poortview (WRAP) Residents Association committee member Charles Dobson, who oversees the work done on the bridge, the sewerage system, and the pylons, traffic was flowing freely over the bridge despite the closures.

“We continually warned motorists, but our warnings went unheeded,” he says. “JRA said that they were conducting a geotechnical study to determine whether the bridge had suffered structural damage, and initially indicated that it should not take long.

“Unfortunately, motorists did not have patience for this and they simply ignored the road closure.

“JRA eventually confirmed to us that the bridge is unsafe for motorists and pedestrians, and despite our pleas, motorists continued to use the road.”

• Also read: Sewage leak at Shampanje bridge attended to

Dobson and the WHRA continued to engage with JRA, who eventually had to resort to more extreme methods to close the bridge.

According to a statement released by JRA in answer to questions posed by the Northsider, remedial work on this bridge will not be a quick fix.

“JRA needs to ensure that any work undertaken on the bridge will ensure its structural soundness for the safety of residents and road users.

“JRA has appointed engineers to assess the damage and develop a works design for rehabilitation.

“The works designs are expected by June 2024, and once finalised with financial costings, and depending on budget availability, the JRA will appoint a contractor to undertake the remedial work.”

The entity would not divulge an estimated timeframe for the project, saying simply that JRA would inform the community once a timeframe has been established.

In the meanwhile, residents have been urged to report anyone who ignores the road closure, or tampers with the signage or barriers, by sending an email to hotline@jra.org.za.