The construction of the R72-million pedestrian and walkway bridge linking the Alexandra and Sandton areas, in Johannesburg, will begin in September and will benefit the 10 000 commuters that walk 5.2 km daily between the two areas.
The project, which is in the design phase, will be implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and is expected to be completed by November 2015.
The need for a bridge was identified following traffic and pedestrian studies that were conducted in and around Alexandra and Sandton, which highlighted the average number of daily pedestrians commuting between the two areas.
JDA marketing manager Susan Monyai tells Engineering News that the bridge is intended to address the needs of those who make use of nonmotorised forms of transport by providing a high-quality, safe walking and cycling facility.
The pedestrian walkway bridge will start at No 3 Square in Alexandra and terminate in Sandton near the Grayston avenue bridge along Katherine street.
The structure will consist of a 250 m concrete bridge with an 8 m deck, which will accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
The pedestrian and cycling lanes will each be 3 m wide, with a 2-m-wide barrier in the middle, which will boast landscaping features. The bridge will have a 6 m clearance from the existing Grayston drive level.
The City of Johannesburg will also invest in pedestrian connection links to the bridge from Rautenbach and Roosevelt avenues, and an upgrade of pedestrian walkways from Katharine drive, in Sandton.
JDA CEO Thanduxolo Mendrew believes the bridge will be an iconic addition to the city’s skyline, in much the same way as the Nelson Mandela Bridge is.
“The City’s Nelson Mandela Bridge has become one of the iconic structures of the southern gateway and this bridge will equally change the city skyline as an important northern gateway. At the same time, it will serve as an important link between Sandton and Alexandra to show that features of these areas are inherently connected,” he says.
He adds that the bridge helps fulfil citizens’ rights to freedom of movement by promoting a spatially integrated city.
The project forms part of the city’s Corridors of Freedom initiative, which aims to develop well-planned transport arteries linked to interchanges dedicated to mixed-used development and undoing apartheid spatial planning.
The Corridors of Freedom also includes a new bridge over the M1 and a new public transport interchange at Watt street, in Alexandra, as well as the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system and its associated trunk routes across the city.