The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has, over the last year, invested R14.4-million in the replacement of 42 bridge expansion joints on 16 bridges across the city, including on Buccleuch drive and the M1 near the Joe Slovo bridges.
The repair and replacement of bridge joints forms part of JRA’s maintenance and upkeep of the city’s infrastructural assets in ensuring safety of road users. JRA infrastructure development head Mpho Kau said that, over the years, the increase in traffic, environmental factors and accidents had had a severe impact on the rate at which bridge components deteriorated and that the maintenance would preserve the existing infrastructure.
Bridge expansion joints are designed to allow for continuous traffic between structures while accommodating movement, shrinkage or expansion, and temperature variations on reinforced and prestressed concrete, composite and steel structures.
The joints stop the bridge from bending out of place in extreme conditions. Joints can accommodate movement range from 30 mm to 500 mm.