PRETORIA, Gauteng — The escalating crisis of Gauteng bridges on the verge of collapse has prompted urgent intervention as provincial authorities launch a R79 million rehabilitation initiative, even as dozens of structures across the province remain critically vulnerable due to severe budget constraints.
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabe, officially kicked off the 12-month Tshwane Bridge Rehabilitation Programme. The project targets seven bridge structures in Pretoria West, including the B649 bridge over the Hennops River, three bridges on the R101 over the Hennops River, and four others spanning the R511 and R514 routes.
“I am the executive authority that says let’s fix the bridges and then I go and get the money,” Diale-Tlabe stated, emphasizing her role in securing and administering funds on behalf of the province’s residents. She noted that each of the seven scheduled bridges carries a documented history of failure and risk. This danger was tragically highlighted in December 2024 when heavy rains caused a vehicle to be swept off a low-level Hennops River bridge, resulting in fatalities.
Greg Schneemann, Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Transport & Logistics, welcomed the intervention but raised immediate safety concerns regarding poor visibility in the work zones. “As the portfolio committee, we would be really glad, we would be grateful and happy that this project has started. I think it’s long overdue,” Schneemann said. He further urged authorities to address the lack of lighting, noting that the area is extremely dark at night, and requested the installation of flashing lights during construction to ensure motorists are adequately aware of the hazards.
Despite the R79 million investment in Pretoria West, the broader infrastructure challenge remains dire just 60 kilometers away in Johannesburg. Provincial audits conducted in 2022 and 2023 identified 69 bridges in the City of Johannesburg as highly vulnerable and in need of repair—the highest number in the province. Currently, there is insufficient budget allocated to fix all of these critical structures.
Compounding the infrastructure challenges, reports reveal that R49 million was spent on an abandoned two-bridge project on Modderfontein Road. Initiated by the Johannesburg Roads Agency in 2021, the project remains incomplete after the contractor was dismissed for poor performance.
Diale-Tlabe addressed the stalled development by stating that the provincial department actively encourages municipalities to start and finish projects. She deferred specific questions regarding the Modderfontein Road site to Johannesburg MMC for Roads and Transport, Kune, who is expected to provide a comprehensive response on the matter.
The targeted rehabilitation program forms part of a wider provincial strategy to catch up on years of deferred infrastructure maintenance across Gauteng’s road network, as the department attempts to stabilize the province’s deteriorating transport assets before further tragedies occur.
