Residents of the La Valle complex are at their wits’ end as the bridge leading to their driveway continues to deteriorate, posing risks for vehicles moving in and out of the complex.

The Hercules Close Bridge was part of the staggering 79% of the City of Johannesburg bridges that are classified to be “poor” or in a “very poor” condition according to the Johannesburg Road Agency’s (JRA) Visual Conditions Assessment conducted last year.

The Roodepoort Record previously reported on the condition of this bridge, and it was found that the embankment collapsed due to heavy floods that hit the area in 2022.

• Also read: Bridges in poor conditions; 11 awaiting budget for repairs

During a recent visit, complex trustee Wynand Lewis explained the devastating toll the collapsed bridge has had on the residents for the past three years.

He said that the state of the bridge not only causes a lot of inconvenience for motorists, but also leads to a commotion during peak hours because all drivers have to use a single lane.

“There are about 60 units with people that are affected, and if something were to happen, we would be left completely stranded because there’s no other access to the complex,” he said.

“During heavy rains now in summer, the bridge erodes even more, and the left side is a no-go area for cars and pedestrians, as it might collapse anytime. Tenants moving in with heavy vehicles cannot use this bridge at all.

• Also read: No budget to repair collapsing bridge

“We phoned JRA and other entities numerous times, and engineers were deployed to do an inspection, but nothing has been done, and the situation is getting more dangerous.

“We’ve done our own quotation for repairs. It doesn’t cost a lot, but we are not allowed to fix it ourselves,” he said, adding that it would cost more to repair if it were to collapse.

JRA’s previous response to the Record mentioned that designs for the bridge were concluded in January 2024, and an approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment and the Water Use Licence Application was obtained.

JRA further stated that at that time, there was no budget to fix the bridge, and they were in the process of submitting a motivation to the City of Johannesburg to consider this bridge as part of the mid-term budget.

More questions have been sent regarding the status of the budget, and a follow-up article will be done once received.

For now, the affected area remains cordoned off.