Skip to main content

Work begins on Johannesburg’s Great Walk Bridge

Construction has begun on a US$10.7 million pedestrian and cycling bridge over one of Africa's busiest highways in Johannesburg. ‘The Great Walk Bridge’ will form part of a dedicated five kilometre pedestrian and cycling path from the heart of Alexandra to the centre of the Sandton central business district - providing a quicker, safer route for the estimated 10,000 people who walk or cycle between the two areas daily. Construction, which is being implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) on
March 9, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Construction has begun on a US$10.7 million pedestrian and cycling bridge over one of Africa's busiest highways in Johannesburg.

‘The Great Walk Bridge’ will form part of a dedicated five kilometre pedestrian and cycling path from the heart of Alexandra to the centre of the Sandton central business district - providing a quicker, safer route for the estimated 10,000 people who walk or cycle between the two areas daily.

Construction, which is being implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (7362 JDA) on behalf of the City of Johannesburg, is due to be completed by October 2016.

"This project was initiated after a transport study indicated that as many as 10,000 pedestrians walk to and from Alexandra to employment in Sandton each day," JDA chief executive officer Thanduxolo Mendrew said at the sod-turning ceremony.

The bridge was designed by Royal Haskoning and is being built by Murray AND Roberts, with safety a top priority. It will incorporate three-metre wide pedestrian and cycling pathways separated by barriers from vehicles once it reaches the road. Concrete bollards will be placed on curves to prevent vehicle access.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Investors say politics is hurting Chile infrastructure spending
    October 22, 2013
    While the financial community praises Chile as a safe haven and pioneer in Latin American infrastructure, investors say that political leaders lack commitment to push for projects, and they have called for the creation of an independent authority to plan public works and coordinate projects. Chile's construction chamber has proposed the installation of an agency, such as those that exist in Canada and New Zealand, which would be independent from the national government and would plan long-term infrastruc
  • Flow Labs & AirSage announce VRU data deal
    August 28, 2024
    Analytics and movement pattern insights will help protect pedestrians and cyclists
  • The downside of driverless vehicles
    October 27, 2016
    Driverless cars will have a detrimental effect on congestion and security while the road safety benefits can be achieved sooner and cheaper using ADAS, argues Colin Sowman. Many Governments are consulting about the introduction of driverless vehicles and even running trials. As 70% or 80% of crashes are caused by human error, the promise of a crash-free future of driverless, self-driving or autonomous vehicles (call them what you will) is alluring, as are the claims of reduced congestion and lower emissions
  • IAM RoadSmart calls for joined up thinking on road safety
    October 12, 2016
    Action is needed from across government departments to reverse the trend of flat-lining road deaths, according to new research from UK road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which says reducing these deaths would in turn offer a large saving to the public purse. The new report, Evaluating the costs of incidents from the public sector perspective, is the first attempt to update the formula for death and injury cost figures since the 1990s. It is also the first time anyone has highlighted the costs to the publ