200 days and counting: End of the road in sight for Hendrik Potgieter bridge rebuild?

Relief is on the cards for thousands of motorists with the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GPDRT) confident in meeting the completion date of 30 November for the reconstruction of the bridge on Hendrik Potgieter Road in Roodepoort.

This after a site visit with the contractor, VEA Road Maintenance and Civils, and ward governance on 11 May.

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Hendrik Potgieter Road bridge rebuild latest

The road is a main arterial linking Krugersdorp and Johannesburg. The affected section has been closed since December last year after the bridge collapsed when heavy rains damaged the stormwater channel, forcing motorists to use residential roads as a detour.

Monday 15 May marked 200 days until the targeted deadline for the Hendrik Potgieter Road bridge rebuild.

ALSO READ: PHOTOS: Hendrik Potgieter Road collapse – closed until further notice

It may have felt like an eternity for residents sitting in endless traffic, dodging massive trucks, but it has been just less than 160 days since the road was closed.

The period, however, has seen two public engagement meetings, one contracting company having their employment terminated and countless emails sent back and forth between entities and frustrated residents in the thick of the detour.

Hendrik Potgieter pic.twitter.com/ntldfQQNXM

— Lynda (@lynvan) December 13, 2022

Latest update: Soil reinforcement

Following the site visit, Ward 85 councillor Zoné Hughes provided the following feedback:

“They are busy reinforcing the soil underneath the bridge to ensure that what happened in December 2022 does not happen again by reinforcing the culverts and building a reinforced wall. Teams are also busy desilting along the road to ensure that the road does not get damaged by any further rain.”

VEA Road Maintenance and Civils  has taken over the full scope of work required for the rebuild. Contract manager Zama Kokela explained that the company is now in the process of “filling with dump rock to the level of the base and channeling the water using a concrete channel”.

‘No issues’ regarding surveyor at bridge rebuild site

In reply to claims of working around the clock, Kokela said: “The above doesn’t require us to work at night as yet. We are at 20% progress of the works, so nightshifts haven’t started. That will only commence when we do the culvert.”

Claims that no surveyor was active on-site have been circulating on community WhatsApp groups, something Kokela dismissed.

“We have our in-house survey team. The surveyor is on-site, there are no issues,” he said.

“We must do the survey and send it to the engineer for approval. Once approved we then work. That is not an issue at all,” Kokela added.

Explaining the role of the surveyor, Kokela stated: “Picking up existing turnkey survey, giving points of reference of the structure to the team, controlling levels using design levels and pickup after survey for actual and for record purposes”.

Confident of meeting the 30 November deadline, he concluded:

“We are on the programme and no delays have been encountered as yet. We are positive with our approved timelines and milestones.”

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Edited by Cornelia le Roux. 

This article originally appeared in Roodepoort Rekord and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.