Hilson Bridge restoration complete
NORWOOD – Community volunteers and donors took the burden upon themselves and made the project a success.
Severe erosion at historic Hilson Bridge at The Gardens in Norwood has been resolved. On behalf of the Norwood Oaklands Residents Association (Nora), chairman Brett McDougall shared that the association has been cleaning the river and maintaining this green lung since 2014, but in 2015 a more immediate threat presented itself – erosion.
He said, “Summer storms between 2015 and 2017 eroded the riverbank to the verge of The Avenue. Under pressure to act, the City committed funds in 2017 to resolve the problem, but bureaucratic bungles saw the R7.5-million budget lapse without any work being performed.”
Ward 74 councillor Dave Fisher said the erosion in and around the Hilson Bridge and The Avenue, which goes over this bridge, was first reported to the City in about 2015. The flash floods in November 2016 again highlighted the need for work to be done in the area.
Fisher added that Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), who are responsible for stormwater, rivers and bridges, prepared a plan to reconstruct the bridge. “In April 2017 JRA announced the allocation of R7.5 million for the rehabilitation work. As time passed the budget was not spent here and was reallocated further upstream. Since then rehabilitation work has been done in Orange Grove, which is part of this water system.
“As the ward councillor and on behalf of the community, we congratulate and thank Brett McDougall and his team for their efforts and commitment to this and other upliftment projects in the area. It’s another great example of what active and involved residents can do to make an important impact on the environment.”
The JRA acknowledged receipt of the enquiry on the matter but did not respond for a week until time of going to press.
The Rosebank Killarney Gazette reported more on that anticipated project in an online article titled, The historic Hilson Bridge to be restored [published 19 April 2017].
McDougall added that Richard Holden, an engineer and water and sanitation expert and neighbourhood activist, stepped in to assist. He proposed retraining the river to meet the mouth of the bridge.
These efforts received a boost when the Walmart Foundation donated $10 000 to the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) in recognition of the work done by McDougall (who is former chairman of the JHF) here and at the Orange Grove Waterfall. McDougall said the $10 000 was equivalent to R138 000 of which the budget at Hilson has been R60 000 with the remainder being planned for work at the Orange Grove Waterfall.
“The restoration was completed in 2020 with the volunteer expertise of Holden and the hard work of Thulani Madondo, and would not have been possible without the assistance of so many other volunteers and donors,” McDougall said.
The Bridge and The Gardens Conservancy were reopened in a ceremony held on 11 October. Nora notified residents that The Gardens Conservancy will be open to walkers on weekends between 8am and 5pm, and opening times may be extended into weekdays depending on volunteer response.
Details: For more information, email the Norwood Oaklands Residents Association at noracommittee@gmail.com
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