The city of Johannesburg is grappling with a severe infrastructure crisis, as a chronic lack of funding has prevented comprehensive maintenance on its aging network of bridges, some of which are as old as 50 years, according to a senior official.
Zweli Nyathi, CEO of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), confirmed in a recent interview that nearly a decade has passed since a full visual inspection of the more than 900 bridges under the agency’s oversight was conducted. The last detailed survey, done approximately ten years ago, flagged over 700 bridges for rehabilitation and classified 68 as requiring urgent intervention.
Nyathi acknowledged the gravity of the situation, citing “budgetary constraints” as the primary reason for the failure to conduct a subsequent comprehensive assessment. He revealed the maintenance backlog for road-related structures, including bridges and culverts, stands at a staggering R37 billion.
“With the budgeting system, we haven’t really been getting a lot of money in terms of maintenance,” Nyathi stated. “So if you build something, you continuously roll infrastructure and you don’t maintain, you are going to suffer those kind of consequences.”
Despite the immense challenge, Nyathi sought to reassure the public, stating that the number of bridges in urgent need of attention has been reduced from 68 to “less than 10.” He explained that the agency conducts ongoing, risk-based assessments and has teams of engineers continuously monitoring the structures.
“When you come to the very poor [bridges], that’s where we close it and definitely wait for budget or somehow we rebuild the bridge,” he said, citing the complete reconstruction of the Kilburn Bridge, which connects Roodepoort and the western areas, as an example of progress made.
The agency is currently undertaking a new comprehensive assessment to determine the current state of the network.
Beyond the funding shortfall, the JRA faces additional challenges from vandalism and human activity. Nyathi reported that fires started underneath bridges by homeless individuals scraping for metal, combined with general vandalism of infrastructure like traffic signals, are “reversing the gains” made by the agency. He confirmed that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has been provided with hotspots and is on high alert to address these issues.
The crisis is further exacerbated by shifting freight patterns. Nyathi noted that over 85% of land freight now moves by road, placing an unexpected heavy toll on infrastructure not designed for such volumes. This influx of heavy trucks, partly due to challenges in the rail sector, is accelerating the deterioration of road surfaces and, by extension, the bridges they support.
In a bid to address the financial crisis, Nyathi revealed that the city has escalated the matter to the highest level of government. “We escalated this to the presidency… we packaged it and we sent it to them,” he said, indicating that the city is awaiting feedback from the presidential working committee on potential funding or partnerships.
With hundreds of bridges needing work and a multi-billion rand backlog, the structural integrity of Johannesburg’s key infrastructure remains a pressing concern for the city’s safety and mobility.