Joy as Kenville Road Bridge opens

RESIDENTS of Sea Cow Lake and Kenville breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday, April 24, as the Kenville Road Bridge was opened to traffic.

For the past five years, the bridge, which connects Kenville Road to Sea Cow Lake, has been under construction, leading to many residents having to find alternate routes out of the area.

The project is part of the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport System.

When Northglen News visited the construction site, workers were completing three speed humps leading up to and on the bridge, which were called for by the community and the NCP Informal Settlement.

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Ward councillor Bobby Maharajh welcomed the completion of the bridge, saying it was a relief to see the project come to fruition.

“The bridge has been one aspect of the roadworks on Inanda Road and Sea Cow Lake Road. It is a huge relief to have the bridge opened to motorists and pedestrians as they have been inconvenienced by the project for the last five years. This will certainly ease high traffic volumes in the area as well as make it faster for residents, particularly on Sea Cow Lake Road, to get in and out of the area.

“In an effort to ensure community safety, the installation of the three speed humps that lead to the bridge is also a necessary addition. This reopening could not have come at a better time as the upper half of Sea Cow Lake Road has been affected by a collapse, which has widened in the last few weeks. Many residents have also expressed their delight as they felt several roads in the area had taken on the strain of added traffic volumes due to the bridge closure,” he said.

Chairperson of the Kenville/Sea Cow Lake Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, Anil Beekrum, echoed those sentiments, calling the reopening a ‘massive relief’.

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“This has made it so much easier for people to access Kenville and Sea Cow Lake. It is a massive relief for the residents, parents and worshippers as there is a mosque close to the bridge. The workmanship has been solid, and the contractors have done a great job on the newly constructed bridge. The addition of the speed humps is also a welcome sight as we were concerned about speeding,” he said.

Beekrum added that Sea Cow Lake Road, at the intersection of Inanda Road, will now be temporarily closed until October this year while work is done to realign Inanda Road as part of the eThekwini Municipality’s GO!Durban project.

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