Damaged N2 bridge undergoes repairs
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area last Friday and inspected the bridge ahead of the District Development Model Presidential Imbizo in Umgababa.
Motorists in KZN have been concerned about travelling from the South Coast to Durban (and vice versa) after the partial collapse of the Mbokodweni River Bridge on the N2 near Amanzimtoti.
The incident occurred last week, and the N2 south between Joyner and Dickens roads has been closed after an emergency assessment by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral), which recommended it be closed to traffic until it is restored to meet safety standards.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area last Friday and inspected the bridge ahead of the District Development Model Presidential Imbizo in Umgababa.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy accompanied the president and announced that the Department of Transport with Sanral aims to temporarily repair the bridge, targeting a December reopening to accommodate the festive season rush.
She said more extensive work would follow next year, explaining that a permanent stabilisation plan is essential to ensure long-term safety for road users.
Sanral’s CEO, Reginald Demana, said it was important for the president to see the condition of the road.
Preliminary findings suggest the damage to the bridge resulted from the failure of span four of the bridge, which was caused by the malfunctioning of its bearings, particularly the concrete rocker bearing on the east side and the central bearings.
“What we have seen is that there is damage to the support pillar and the concrete bearings. We need to replace the bearings. We are going to use modern technology, which means putting in steel bearings. The bridge was built in the 1960s, so it’s quite old and was built using old technology we no longer use,” he said.
“As a temporary solution, we will use hydraulic jacks to lift the deck back to the same level as the other decks. We will then reopen to traffic. While traffic is moving, we will work on a permanent solution, which is to manufacture steel bearings that will be inserted inside the deck and the pillars.”
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