Sewage leak at Shampanje bridge attended to
The massive sewage leak into the stream at the notorious Shampanje Street bridge has finally been repaired. Motorists will have to wait a little while before the street is opened for traffic though.
The large sewage leakage into the stream at the now notorious Shampanje Street bridge has eventually been stemmed.
Equally good news is that the road over the bridge will soon be reopened for traffic.
Recent discussions between residents’ association representatives, City of Johannesburg (CoJ) councillor Theo Doyle, and the Johannesburg Road Agency’s Region C operations manager Lawrence Maseko, have revealed that the large sewage leak was successfully repaired and that some processes need to be completed before the road is opened for traffic.
Maseko said that these processes, which include the conclusion and submission of a report by road engineers for the city on the repair of the damaged stormwater culvert under the bridge, and the condition of the road and sidewalk, are well underway and should take no longer than a week, or two at the most.
The bridge has been a sticky subject for residents and the CoJ for quite a while. Heavy rains and resulting erosion caused a part of the stormwater culvert to give way, in the process destroying a section of a sewerage main pipe installed over the stream, and also leaving many electricity pylons along the stream – one of which is right next to the road – in peril of collapse.
This prompted the CoJ to close this section of the street to traffic, which has resulted in serious congestion on alternative routes through this already very busy neighbourhood.
This state of affairs has proven too much for some road users though, as some fed-up motorists would simply get out of their cars and remove the plastic barriers placed over the road, despite the obvious danger posed by the unstable pylon right next to the bridge.
“Our teams are in the process of securing the electricity pylons, and residents can rest assured that we will open the road as soon as it is safe to do so,” Maseko said.
Maseko said that their investigation has revealed that the Shampanje Street bridge itself remains structurally sound and is not in any danger of collapse, as many residents have speculated.
“The road surface itself also seems to be intact. As soon as we get the go-ahead from the engineers, we will open the road. This should not take much longer than a week.”
