COUNCILLOR Herman Mashaba, executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg, is happy to announce that repair work on the closed section of the M2 highway will be completed on October 30, as planned.
A ceremony will be held to mark the occasion on November 2 and 3, where an operational plan will be announced and rolled out to ensure that the motorway is fully operational and open to motorists on November 4.
In August 2018, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) started the R58-million emergency repairs to sections of the motorway after continuous assessments revealed that the structural integrity of the concrete elements were severely reduced.
Mashaba said this caused major inconvenience to businesses and residents alike. “We had to take the decision to shut down the M2 in order to protect the lives of our residents
“I stood on that bridge. I felt the vibrations and I saw first-hand the cracks in the supporting structures. There is no doubt that this was a life-saving and very necessary decision.
“However, I am proud to announce that we have kept to our commitment of re-opening the bridge at the end of October. Furthermore, I plan on visiting the bridge myself on October 30, before the lanes are opened to the public.
“The condition of roads across the City of Johannesburg have been a matter of concern to me. Not only do they need to be safe for public use, but they are integral to connecting our residents who commute daily.
“The M2 is one of the main motorways which link N3 and M1 to the city and the western parts of Johannesburg,” said the mayor.
If the budget for rehabilitation was not carried out soon and the section of bridge collapsed, the M2 motorway would have been closed to traffic and the congestion on roads around and in the inner city would have dramatically increased.
This, in turn, could have had severe consequences on the economy and mobility of citizens and visitors of the City.
With over 900 bridges and only six per cent of them in good condition, it is no wonder that they are crumbling to the point of requiring emergency repairs.
“This is why the multi-party government has shifted the budget towards increased repairs and maintenance across the city. When we took over this administration in 2016, we discovered a shocking R170-billion infrastructure backlog which includes our road network.
“Furthermore, at that time, the city only spent around two per cent of the value of our fixed assets on repairs and maintenance when National Treasury stipulates this to be at around eight per cent annually.
“Currently, we have been able to up spending to over four per cent and we will continue to work to increase this percentage and bring Diphetogo to our residents,” he said.
