No budget to repair collapsing bridge

The residents of the La Valle complex in Heldekruin are frustrated over the deteriorating condition of a bridge leading to their driveway, which is worsening daily.

According to the head of security, Thys Dannhauser, the bridge partially collapsed during a major storm in 2022, with the side barriers completely falling off, leaving it in a dangerous and unusable state.

Dannhauser says they have tried to report the bridge’s state to the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) multiple times, but in these two years after the storm, they’ve only had one visit from civil engineers who came to inspect and put safety barriers on the left side of the bridge.

“During heavy rains in summer, the bridge erodes even more, and the left side is a no-go area for cars and pedestrians as it might collapse anytime.”

He says this state of the bridge causes a lot of inconvenience for motorists going in and out of the complex, and it leads to a commotion during peak hours because all drivers have to use a single lane.

This bridge has a stream of water underneath, and Dannhauser says it poses a lot of danger to children walking around.

Frik Momberg, the manager of the complex, confirmed that residents are very worried that if the rainy season starts, they may have problems entering the complex and walking to the shops.

“There are risks of people falling into the stream due to the side collapsing. Imagine drivers who are not familiar with the bridge driving to the complex; they are also at risk,” Momberg said.

According to a response sent to the Roodepoort Record by JRA, they undertook several assessments of damaged structures as a result of the floods that occurred in December 2022 and the Helderkuin Bridge on Hercules Close is one of the bridges affected. JRA says the assessments found that there are no stormwater kerbs or channels to direct the flow of stormwater which may have led to the erosion of the embankment and the eventual collapse of the bridge’s wingwalls.

“The affected area was cordoned off following the collapse, however, the JRA will reinforce the closure around the bridge. Designs for the bridge were concluded in January 2024 and the JRA has since obtained approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment and the Water Use Licence Application,” the response read.

Additionally, JRA says there is currently no budget to fix the bridge, however, they are in the process of submitting a motivation to the City of Johannesburg to consider this bridge as part of the mid-term budget, and they will do more site inspections and provide an update with regards to alternative routes for La Valle residents.