By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Two people were injured when a pedestrian bridge straddling a railway line in Jeppestown, surburb of Johannesburg collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.
Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Nana Radebe said the bridge collapsed just before 2pm on Wednesday.
“The bridge collapsed on the railway [below]. When the incident occurred two people were crossing using the footbridge. The two patients have been taken to nearby medical facilities.”
City of Johannesburg Safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, it was by luck that the bridge collapsed at around 13:30 because it accommodates hundreds of pedestrians between 16:00 and 18:00.
“That and the train on the tracks could have been a mass casualty incident,” Tshwaku said.
The bridge is owned by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa – and it runs over a railway line.
The railway line is the main line to the East Rand.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency’s (JRA) 2021/2022 annual report, showed that 90% of the city’s bridges were found to be in poor condition.
JRA said some of the more critical bridges include, among others, the three inner-city bridges Queen Elizabeth, Biccard and Harrison Bridges, Kilburn Bridge, Belgrave Bridge, West Road Bridge, Pier Road Bridge, Maphumulo Bridge and Mmila and Vincent series bridges.
Meanwhile the Gauteng Infrastructure team is working on recovering the Germiston to Johannesburg rail line following the collapse of a footbridge, said the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
“This work follows the removal of parts of the bridge and debris from the perway/main tracks. The remaining parts of the bridge and debris will be removed today, “the agency said.
PRASA said it is pleased with the progress made in recovering the infrastructure so it can resume services, which is expected within the next 24-48 hours.
An investigation into what led to the collapse is underway.
PRASA had recently recovered the line and running test trains when the bridge collapsed. The Germiston to Johannesburg line is part of the 16 corridors prioritized for rebuilding and recovery in this financial year.