The bridge which serves as the entry and exit point for the residents of Sunrise Estate, a retirement village in Northwold, has been deemed a safety hazard by the Johannesburg Roads Agency.
The JRA conducted their inspection of the bridge early this year, however, little has been done to fix it after years of complaining from stakeholders.
Ward 101 councillor Dalu Cele expressed frustration due to the lack of service delivery. Cele took to social media activism as a last resort after his efforts to put pressure on the road’s agency to fix the bridge. Cele posted a video on Facebook where he expressed his outrage that the municipal matter had not been tended to.
Trustees of Sunrise Estate have also faced their own challenges with the JRA. Supervisor and trustee at Sunrise Estate Pat Esprey expressed worry due to the state of the bridge, which she confirmed has been slowly deteriorating for years.
“The road is not safe for pedestrians who risk being attacked on their way to their employment. This road is the only access we have to our retirement village and access for emergency vehicles, e g ambulances, is imperative. Our village has 70 cottages with a number of residents in their eighties and nineties.”
The JRA confirmed that when the bridge would be fixed was a question of funds.
“Johannesburg Road’s Agency’s Road Assets Management Systems Department completed an inspection to assess the extent of the deterioration and has concluded that the culvert on 5th Road needs remedial work. The culvert is the only access to the Sunrise Estate retirement village and has thus been prioritised for emergency repair work, pending availability of funds,” offered media liaison Kelebogile Mafa from the JRA.
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