PUBLIC SAFETY: ‘Where’d the money go?’ — feisty NMB tannies slam ‘shoddy’ R2.4m Smartie Bridge upgrades

Nelson Mandela Bay’s feisty tannies are up in arms once again, this time over the money spent on upgrades to the historic Wylde Bridge, which links Amsterdamhoek and Swartkops. They have described the work as an utter “mess” and a disaster.

Spanning the Swartkops River, this historic structure was opened in September 1879, making it one of the oldest bridges in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro. It was nicknamed “Smartie Bridge” after a brightly coloured refurbishment in 2016.

While the municipality has taken steps to divert heavy and prohibited vehicles away from the bridge, residents Francis Jeffrey and Eileen Leander say the work done so far falls far short of what was needed to protect the structure.

“The work is absolutely sh*t,” said Jeffrey, while Leander demanded that the municipality “come clean up their mess”.

The women say the metro’s stated expenditure of R2.4-million on upgrading the bridge approaches, roadworks and kerbing, as well as installing traffic-calming measures and signage, does not match what they have seen on the ground.

“Where on earth did the money go? Does this look like R2.4-million worth of work?” asked Jeffrey, a resident of Swartkops.

Leander, who is from the Aloes community, described the work as a “laughing stock”.

The project was launched after years of complaints that heavy trucks were damaging the bridge, which has a five-tonne weight restriction. The removal of the original height restrictors during the 2016 refurbishment left the bridge vulnerable to oversized vehicles using it as a shortcut to the metro’s industrial areas and truck stops.

In February, Daily Maverick reported that heavy trucks had already damaged newly installed plastic height restrictors, while kerbing had repeatedly been broken by vehicles forcing their way through the construction area.

A visit on Friday, 9 October, revealed that the plastic height restrictors had been destroyed, and several trucks crossed the bridge despite the restrictions.

Leander said traffic officials sometimes monitored the bridge but stayed for only about 15 minutes, which she said did little to enforce compliance. She voiced concern about the way the bridge vibrated when vehicles crossed it. She and Jeffrey fear it will take a disaster before the municipality takes their warnings seriously.

Councillor seeks answers

The women may have to wait a little longer for answers – DA Ward 16 councillor Werner Senekal said a motion he submitted seeking clarity on how the money was spent would only be dealt with in detail after the 4 November municipal election.

Senekal agreed that the work was “absolutely shoddy”, questioning how the amount spent could be justified by what had been completed.

“I honestly do not see how R2.4-million was spent on that work,” he said.

After seeing the plastic height restrictors installed to prevent oversized vehicles from crossing the bridge, Senekal submitted a motion calling on the municipality to account for the work and outline its plans to upgrade the bridge.

“The motion had gone to the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC). The motion was accepted. So there is a standing motion that a report must be provided on how the money – every rand and every cent – had been spent. The matter will be taken further in the new term,” he said.

Safety concerns for children

Leander warned that while politicians and municipal officials delayed addressing the issue, the bridge was deteriorating and the lives of children from the Aloes community, who cross it daily to attend school in Swartkops, were at risk.

“Children from the Swartkops community do not have to use the bridge to get to school. But the children from the Aloes community must use the bridge to get to school,” she said, adding that children cannot be expected to walk along the railway line. 

She said gaps in the bridge’s railings posed a danger to pedestrians, particularly young children, and that she had been cautioned against trying to secure the gaps with wire and chevron tape.

“Those gaps in the railings have been open for I do not know how long. The children, for their safety, have to walk right in the middle of the road. And when a vehicle comes, they have to move out of the way,” she said.

The temporary closure of the bridge during the roadworks had offered some relief, Leander said, because children could cross without having to contend with traffic.

“But that was only for two weeks,” she said.

Residents have repeatedly warned that the bridge could collapse if heavy vehicles continue to use it. Trucks carrying manganese, car carriers and other heavy vehicles have continued to cross despite signs prohibiting vehicles weighing more than five tonnes.

The activists have called for stronger measures to protect the structure, including raised speed humps, a wider road, a traffic circle and steel height restrictors.

The original height barrier was removed during the 2016 refurbishment and has never been reinstated. Residents have argued that a steel structure would be a more effective deterrent than the plastic restrictors, which have already been damaged.

Municipality responds

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya previously said installing steel height restrictors was not feasible because they were “vulnerable to corrosion, vandalism and long-term maintenance challenges”.

He said the municipality was aware of the damage to the restrictive infrastructure and condemned the vandalism.

“Through the municipality’s traffic services and the metro police, the area will be closely monitored to prevent further damage and possibly hold those who might be on the wrong side of the law responsible.

“The Directorate of Roads and Transport will also carry out repairs to ensure the restrictive measures are visible and act as a deterrent to road traffic law violations,” he said. DM