Bridge built for pedestrian safety

Details

30 April 2012

A pedestrian bridge has been built across the Soweto Highway, giving commuters safe access to the Booysens Reserve Rea Vaya station.

THE construction of a pedestrian bridge across the Soweto Highway, giving commuters easy access to the Rea Vaya station, is almost complete.

"The project was successfully completed last year in September," says the Johannesburg Development Agency's senior development manager, Vuyiswa Voyi. "The only outstanding design element is the provision of an anti-slip surfacing on the bridge deck and some snag items on the bridge joints that is being finalised."

The anti-slip surfacing is expected to be completed by the end of April. The pedestrian bridge was built to provide access to the newBus Rapid Transit (BRT) station at Booysens Reserve, which is in the road median.

It has a one-legged ramp from the southern side of the Soweto Highway, as pedestrian traffic is expected to be channelled from that side. Construction began in February,andcost R10-million.

"The traffic travels at high speed in this area … The bridge will provide safe pedestrian passage to and from the station," explains Voyi. Before the bridge was built, pedestrians had to cross the busy road, a dangerous undertaking.

"When the BRT station was designed at the selected location it was proposed to include the bridge structure as formalised access to the facility. The bridge then had to be constructed concurrently with the station works."

CHALLENGES

Working on an operational roadway and getting material to the median sectionwas difficult.

"The construction affected both public traffic and the BRT route at various stages," Voyi says. "Launching structural concrete beams that cross the roadway was the most challenging element, but [it was] co-ordinated with various stakeholders who arranged timeous road deviations at specific periods of the construction."

Construction and road upgrading is being carried out in a number of different areas. Such works include the construction of Phase 1B, the second Rea Vaya trunk route, which is due for completion by June.

Phase 1B's route will start in Noordgesig in Soweto and travel to Parktown, and then into the city centre. It will cover areas such as Pennyville and New Canada, Highgate, Kingsway Road, Stanley Road, Empire Road, Parktown, Braamfontein and Rissik Street.

It will also pass the universities of Johannesburg and Witwatersrand, as well as Helen Joseph and RahimaMoosa hospitals.

Related stories:
BRT's Nasrec Link moves ahead
Soweto Highway to close for road works
Work continues on second phase