Hundreds of Westdrive residents in King William’s Town are breathing a sigh of relief after Buffalo City Metro announced a plan to revamp a bridge to the tune of R20-million in the area.
The project will see the low-lying bridge, which links the central business district near Metlife Mall with Westdrive suburb, being revamped.
Currently the bridge has to be closed whenever there are heavy rains, forcing hundreds of residents as well as pupils of West Bank Senior Seconday School to use the bridge near Steve Biko’s grave.
BCM spokesperson Sam Ngwenya said the contractor was introduced to the local councillor last week, as he is busy with the design phase of the project.
“We are anticipating work on the ground to be done in the new financial year [2019-2020],” said Ngwenya.
He said the metro is inundated with calls from West Bank residents and taxi drivers over the bridge every time it deals with its budget roadshows and imbizos.
When Metro Mayor Xola Pakati visited King William’s Town on Thursday, the demand to revamp the same bridge was raised once again. Ngwenya said the low-lying bridge has been an issue for quite a while because “during heavy rains cars battle to cross and this affects mobility”.
“A non-functional bridge is not only dangerous as a hazard to people but has a direct impact on the economy of an area and the City overall,” said Ngwenya.
Among residents looking forward to the newly-revamped bridge is West Bank school administrator Sindiswa Sidumo.
Her school has 1,117 pupils from Grades R to 12, most of who walk to school.
Sidumo recalled receiving a call from shocked parents in February 2015 when four pupils from her school had a brush with death after they were swept away by a raging Buffalo River while in the car they were travelling in.
The Dispatch reported on the incident in which children, aged between four and 13, a female driver of a Nissan Navara bakkie and two men, were caught in the strongly flowing river while crossing the low-level bridge.
Sidumo said the pupils were on their way to school just before 8am.
The occupants of the vehicle were rescued following swift action by the health department’s emergency rescue services, who were called to the scene by onlookers.
“It was thanks to God that no one drowned on that day. Since that incident, we are now all forced to use alternative routes. And that is not only time consuming, but is also very costly considering the high price of fuel.
“So, if finally the metro will enhance the capacity of this bridge, that’s good news for all of us,” said Sidumo, who has taught at the school for the past 15 years.
Ngwenya said: “We are very optimistic that this bridge will have a positive impact on the lives of our people in that area directly through jobs and indirectly via mobility”...