Motorists risk lives by using bridge

WHILE the Msunduzi Municipality looks to source funds to upgrade the low-level bridge at Woodhouse Road, which has claimed several lives over the past few years, motorists continue to take their lives in their own hands by using the unsafe route.

After a scare earlier this month when five people were washed away in their car, but managed to swim to safety, the municipality has warned residents that the bridge would be permanently closed. Temporary barriers have been put up and a security guard mans the boom gate at the bridge. But once the guard goes off duty, residents remove the barricades and break the boom locks to gain access to the bridge.

Msunduzi spokeswoman, Nqobile Madonda, urged residents to refrain from damaging the boom locks and removing the barricades.

“The decision to close the bridge is to prevent another fatal accident. Unfortunately, people are still ignoring the warning signage… and continue to use the bridge.”

Madonda confirmed that there was a long-term plan to upgrade the bridge so that motorists could use it safely.

Residents who use the bridge as a shortcut are angry that the bridge has been closed.

Sobantu resident, Albert Gwaza, said the bridge had posed a danger to residents for over a decade, yet the municipality had taken this long to act.

“Funds for a new, secure bridge should have been sourced years ago. More money is spent on beautifying the CBD, rather than being put to good use. The lives that have been lost on that bridge rest on the municipality’s shoulders.”

He said many residents used the route to get to work as a faster alternative to the busy N3.

But Scottsville resident, Leanne Downing, said residents should not blame the municipality for their recklessness.