Conrad Drive Bridge to be reconstructed for R21 million
BLAIRGOWRIE – Project is hoped to start by July 2016
The City of Johannesburg has approved a R21-million project involving the reconstruction of the Conrad Drive Bridge, Blairgowrie. Member of Parliament Gordon Mackay (former Ward 90 councillor) and Ward 102 councillor David Potter submitted a petition signed by about 1 000 residents to the City in 2010 for the bridge to be widened above the Braamfontein Spruit, in order to improve the flow of traffic to Jan Smuts Avenue.
Now, the City has approved a project to reconstruct the bridge for the purposes of “road widening and increase in storm water capacity”. A tender was advertised at the end of August this year, the tender closed at the end of September and the appointment of a service provider should be completed in November. It is hoped that implementation of the project will start towards the end of the 2015/16 financial year (by July 2016).
Approval is still needed in the following areas: environmental authorisation, water use licence for working in the river, and heritage approval because the existing bridge has heritage status. The first R1 million will be spent by June next year, and the last R20 million will be spent between July 2015 and June 2016.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Potter said. “So far, there is just the plan. We have no technical details yet. Engineers have not looked at the bridge yet.” He explained that many residents work in Sandton and there are not enough bridges crossing the Braamfontein Spruit, hence the traffic problem. “In the morning until 8.30am traffic is backed up to the end of Conrad [Drive], and in the side roads.”
Blairgowrie Community Association chairperson Jed Kemery would not say whether he thinks the project is good or bad, but, “the general feeling is it would be a good idea but it has to be coupled with a balanced approach.” He explained that because a wider bridge would allow more vehicles access to Jan Smuts Avenue, the traffic lights on Jan Smuts Avenue would have to be synchronised to permit traffic to flow steadily there. He added that the current bridge is “falling apart”.
“It can take 30 minutes in the morning just from the Spar down to the bridge,” says Reno Alexander, owner of the nearby Fratelli Pizzeria. “Everybody from Linden and those suburbs, even as far as Roodepoort come down here. It [the wider bridge] will be an improvement.” Resident Michelle Nusser says, “It is good because there is quite a lot of congestion when you reach Jan Smuts. I am not sure of R21 million though, it seems like a hell of a lot of money.”
Nonhlanhla Moyo, who works at the nearby Capelli Hair Design, agreed that the project is good, but “R21 million is too much”. Potter added that “continuous oversight and pressure will be put on the City to deliver on this budget line item.”
Details: Ward 102 councillor David Potter david@oursuburb.co.za, Johannesburg Roads Agency 011 298 5001; Blairgowrie Community Association 071 345 0209.
Regarding the proposed conrad bridge widening: I would suggest that the bottleneck is do do with traffic volumes and multiple intersection congestion at the jan smuts conrad intersection and proximate roads and not so much with the bridge itself. The real solution would be a flyover along the length of jan smuts roughly from Marian to east to beyond Athole to the west. Not only would this separate traffic at the subject intersection but it would also do the same for traffic from craighall and craighall park; particularly that along buckingham. No doubt this would cost more than R21m but it would at least provide a full and sustainable solution. I wonder what traffic engineering experts think of such a concept?