M1 double decker bridge floods due to blocked drains

Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has confirmed that the flooding of the recently refurbished M1 double-decker bridge had nothing to do with infrastructural defects but a blocked drainage system.

Motorists had to endure driving on a flooded bridge during a downpour on 10 January due to a blocked drainage system, according to JRA. Rehabilitation of the bridge at a cost of R113 million was completed in July last year.

Head of infrastructure at the agency, Siyabonga Genu said investigations conducted after the floods revealed that the draining system that enabled water to flow from the top of the deck to the bottom had been blocked by rubbish thrown out of vehicles by road users.

“It is similar to the drainage system we all have in our houses which is prone to blockages from any rubbish… What we have discovered during the investigation were things like plastic, loose car parts, caps and T-shirts found in the drainage system,” said Genu.

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To prevent flooding on the bridge in future, Genu said JRA was going to increase the frequency of their maintenance of the bridge. “We have included a process where we will be flushing and removing any debris twice a day from 11am and in the afternoon before peak hour. The whole process may take a maximum of two hours.”

What do you think JRA can do to prevent drainage systems of bridges from being blocked?