March marked three years since the dreaded closure of the Spring Road bridge in Weltevreden Park.
In 2017, Ward 126 councillor David Brand announced the untimely closure of the bridge as its structural integrity could not be guaranteed.
The structure of the bridge and the surrounding river bank were damaged by heavy rains.
Read more here:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/274879/spring-road-bridge-long-wait-far-from-over/
After the floding, more safety concerns were voiced, such as the supporting bridge pillars having been eroded and the risk of the gabion baskets, which prevent the river bank from eroding, being washed away. But the biggest danger was the possibility of heavy water flow that could affect houses near the river bank.
In March last year, Brand, JRA regional operations manager Lawrence Maseko and engineer Andrew Singosho met on site to discuss and assess what needed to be done to reconstruct the bridge.
While plans were approved in the interim, Brand later cited further delays of another year due to delays in obtaining a water license from the Department of Water Affairs.
It is still unclear whether the water licence was obtained since Brand, as well as JRA, have not responded to requests for an update on the issue.
The bridge remains closed, but there is no signage to warn road users – instead motorists are greeted by disorganised drums and large, heavy stones with graffiti on them at both ends of the bridge.
Share your experience of how the closure of Spring Road has affected your daily life. Kindly note that your comments might be used in the follow-up article.
