A contractor has been appointed to design and construct a temporary access road to a retirement village in Northwold, Johannesburg.

• The Fifth Road bridge in Northwold, Johannesburg, was badly damaged because of flooding on Monday evening.
• The bridge is the only access route to a retirement village.
• Plans are afoot to construct a temporary access road. Construction is expected to start on Wednesday.

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has started assessing the damage to the Fifth Road bridge in Northwold that recently collapsed.
According to the agency, the bridge was damaged on Monday evening due to flooding.
The Sunrise Estate Retirement Village has been severely affected as the bridge provides the only access to the estate.
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JRA spokesperson Sanele Zondi told News24 a team of engineers was on site on Tuesday to assess the situation.
In the meantime, the JRA has appointed an engineer and a contractor to design and construct a temporary access road off Malibongwe Drive, north of the N1.
Construction is expected to commence on Wednesday and will be completed before the weekend.
The Fifth Road bridge had previously been identified by the JRA for urgent upgrades.
“The JRA has prioritised the appointment of an engineer to assist with the long-term design solution of the bridge, which requires capacity improvement,” Zondi said.
“The construction of the long-term solution is anticipated to take approximately six months, the start date of which will be confirmed once the engineer has been appointed.”
- Compiled by Alex Mitchley
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