Work on the Greymont bridge on West Road has taken years to get underway, partly because the consultant hired to work on the collapsed bridge had their ‘services terminated’ in May 2021 after failing to carry out the work.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency’s (JRA) Zoleka Jika said, “This was necessary due to a failure to execute services in line with the scope of the work with all reasonable care, diligence, and skill in accordance with widely acknowledged professional procedures and standards.”
The bridge has been unusable by motorists since its collapse in 2018.
Following reports from JRA that work is due to commence later this year, Northcliff Melville Times made inquiries into delays in reconstructing it and the implications thereof.
Operations manager at JRA, Bertha Peters-Scheepers, said various factors have impacted the delayed implementation of this project, which included the termination of the consultant’s services, as well as budget considerations.
When probed about possible costs incurred as a result of the extensive delays, Jika said, “Some work may have to be redone and/or reworked due to the consultant’s failings. This can only be ascertained once the newly appointed service provider has completed a review of the work done and assessments of the current state of the structure.”
The scope of work to be performed includes but is not limited to, carrying out engineering studies, inception, preliminary concept design, detailed design, tender documentation, and construction management.
Though no contractor has been appointed to carry out the work yet, it is hoped that work will begin in September. This project will take about eight months to complete.
Ward 86 councillor Chantelle Fourie-Shawe said, “In the meantime, I urge the JRA to ensure they make every effort to temporarily safeguard the bridge and surrounding infrastructure according to road safety legislation until this project is finally completed.”
She will engage JRA as soon as the geotechnical investigations are completed which is scheduled for May 8.
Expected timelines:
-> Geotechnical investigations: February 13–May 8
-> Environmental authorisations: March 6–August 31
-> Completion of detailed designs: May 8–June 5
-> Documentation and contract administration: June 12–July 17
-> Project implementation/construction: September 25–May 25 2024.
