Alrode South pedestrian bridge falls

The pedestrian bridge at Angus Train Station in Alrode South, which is more than 40 years old, collapsed after it was hit by a truck on July 4.

According to Themba Gadebe, City of Ekurhuleni’s spokesperson, the truck’s hydraulic system opened while it was in motion, which resulted in the truck hooking on to the bridge causing the collapse.

The City’s Roads and Stormwater Department stated that the bridge did not collapse as a result of structural defects or negligence from the City for not repairing the bridge.

“The collapse resulted to the closure of Old Vereeniging Road, between Hennie Alberts and Langkloof streets.
During an interview with 702’s breakfast show, executive mayor councillor Mzwandile Masina said the bridge did not collapse, but instead, it was an accident.

“A truck had hydraulics on and I think when the driver was moving a bit faster, that whole back (tipper) opened up and dragged the bridge. If it had collapsed, it would have collapsed on the same spot because it is a 70-ton heavy concrete bridge. The bridge would have come straight down and would not fall into another direction further from the structure if it had collapsed on its own,” he said.

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“We have temporarily closed the bridge, we are going to have temporal measures so that pedestrians can cross over from Thokoza to the firms in Alrode,” he said.

He said the City has over 62 bridges in Ekurhuleni and of those about nine need urgent attention.