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.
Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

JDA

Related Content

  • Animal magic: wildlife crossings
    June 7, 2022
    We’re used to traffic management involving cars and trucks – but there are other road users which also need to be kept safe in some parts of North America
    Read More
  • Cost benefit: just $25 boosts pedestrian safety in Florida
    April 29, 2019
    A relatively straightforward change to the way that pedestrians cross the street in a Florida city has made a significant safety improvement. And what’s more, it was cheap, finds David Crawford Installing a lead pedestrian interval (LPI) system at 25 central business district signalised intersections in the Florida city of Lakeland has cut numbers of incidents involving pedestrians by some 60% - at a cost of US$25 for 30 minutes' work, according to traffic operations manager Angelo Rao.
    Read More
  • Varying acceptance of tolling in Africa
    January 6, 2016
    Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.
    Read More
  • Varying acceptance of tolling in Africa
    January 6, 2016
    Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.
    Read More

Highlighted Content