OR Tambo Airport assures patrons ‘cracking’ bridge is safe

There is no risk of a structural collapse at OR Tambo International Airport, reports Kempton Express.

A photograph of a ‘cracked’ support pillar was widely shared on social media last week, expressing fear that the bridge could collapse.

Management of OR Tambo International Airport confirmed on Monday that a certified structural engineer had examined cracks on a support pillar of the elevated departures roadway at the airport, and determined there was no risk of a structural collapse.

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“The inspection of support pillar number 23 was carried out on January 29 by the structural engineer and the airport’s maintenance engineering team. This pillar is located by the domestic terminal entrance/exit on the lower road ring and provides support to the upper road ring of the airport,” management said in a statement.

The defects were classified by the structural engineer as cracking of the mortar inside the bridge expansion gap.

The structural engineer determined that the cracks were caused by the expansion and contraction movement of the bridge deck on the pillar head.

Under normal circumstances, the expansion joint gap is free of plaster. However, during construction, this pillar expansion joint was plastered to neaten the appearance work area.

Adjacent pillars with open expansion gaps can be seen in the image below:

Adjacent pillar with exposed expansion joint gap.

The recommendations of the structural engineer were to:

• Remove all the loose concrete and mortar from the bridge deck pillar head;

• Finish the bridge ends with mortar; and

• Apply wet to dry epoxy to the exposed surface of the pillar head, then shutter the pier and pour in flowable concrete.

Plastered expansion gaps on pillar 23.

The remedial work commenced as per the engineer’s recommendations. The current status of the remedial work can be seen in the image below. The maintenance team is awaiting setting of the mortar before painting.

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