Mashaba describes opening of M2 as one of his proudest moments
“The reopening of the M2 motorway will be a relief to road users as many had to endure heavy traffic volumes daily.”
With the reopening of the M2 highway, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to mark the occasion.
Held on November 9, the ceremony saw the premier of Gauteng, Honourable David Makhura, Member of Parliament Honourable Prince Mangosotho Buthelezi, speaker of Council of the City of Johannesburg, Clr Vasco Da Gama, with other members of the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA), attend.
The road has been fully operational since November 4.
Outgoing executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, said the reopening was one of the proudest moments for him.
He said many months of hard work by engineers and construction workers, led by the JRA, was put into the project.
In August 2018, Mashaba, with Makhura and the JRA, decided to close the M2 highway after the stability of the Selby Bridge was brought into question.
The support structures of the bridge had shifted and the safety of motorists could not be guaranteed.
The decision to close it down was made in February 2019 to allow for rehabilitation of the bridge.
While the highway was closed, motorists needed to make use of alternative routes.
The M2 motorway is over 60 years old and carries approximately 10 500 vehicles per hour.
The bridge in question had outlasted the average age of other similar infrastructures.
The project to rehabilitate Selby Bridge saw the demolition and reconstruction of four filled concrete columns and column heads.
New waterproofed bridge joints were installed and waterproofing was done to the existing bridge deck.
Acting managing director of JRA, Siyabonga Nodu, said there are eight other bridge structures along the M2 which require repair and rehabilitation work.
However, the JRA does not believe further road closures will be necessary.
“The reopening of the M2 motorway will be a relief to road users as many had to endure heavy traffic volumes daily.”
“The safety of motorists and all road users remains our priority, hence the major rehabilitation work,” said Nodu.
Fifty-seven community members and seven Small Medium Micro Enterprise (SMME) contractors were employed during the construction project.
The mayor thanked everyone involved in the M2 highway rehabilitation project.
Although the bridge was officially reopened, the EXPRESS has received information from the community that construction work is not entirely completed.
A request for comment was sent to JRA on November 14 at 9am to verify if the bridge had any remaining issues.
Comment was requested by the close of business, 4pm, on November 14. At the time of going to print no comment was received.
