With the rainy season here and threats of floods being shared by the SA Weather Services, the condition of St Andrew’s Road bridge in Hurlyvale has left much to be desired, according to Ward 18 Clr Heather Hart.
In recent months the condition of the bridge has deteriorated, with it sagging, large cracks forming in the paving and the supports of the bridge appearing to have separated from the lining of the servitude.
Hart said the cracks were first noticed and reported to the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) at the start of winter.
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“Recognising the danger the situation posed to the community and motorists, I escalated the matter immediately.”
She said after first reporting the matter remedial action was recommended by the management of the roads department.
“Since then, I have had no response or feedback on what’s going to be done.”
On the Horwood Street side of the bridge, a portion of the bridge has sunken significantly and several large cracks have formed.
The cracks range from a few centimetres in width to approximately 30cm.
“At this point, I cannot say what has caused the rapid deterioration of the bridge, it could be soil erosion or several other factors,” said Hart.
In Hart’s opinion, the damage seen on the bridge was a result of the floods of 2016.
The floods of November 2016 were some of the worst Edenvale has seen in years.
Several businesses were forced to shut down, residents’ houses were filled with water, children were washed out of their homes and the floods claimed the life of Caroline Sithole and her unborn child.
Although several projects under the CoE were started to address the damage caused by the floods, a large portion of the town’s stormwater infrastructure remains damaged and in disrepair.
“Clr Bill Rundle and I have a rule of thumb that if there is more than 50mm of rain in 45 minutes we know the area will flood. So far the banks of Edenvale’s servitudes have held.”
Hart said although the city has implemented several proposals of the master stormwater plan, more needs to be done to remediate infrastructure and prevent flooding.
“The city has become stricter with regards to new developments, specifically those in Meadowdale and Tunney, having proper attenuation dams.
“2016 was a warning. We are fortunate not to have experienced a flood of similar proportion since then,” said Hart.
Hart believes if nothing is done about the deteriorating condition of the St Andrew’s Road bridge, it may not last to the end of this rainy season.
A request for comment was sent to the CoE on October 6 at 3.30pm, requesting comment by October 9 at 10am.
At the time of going to print no comment was received.
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