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

  • Elevated bike lane opens in Copenhagen
    July 29, 2014
    Constructed over the harbour, Copenhagen’s Cykelslangen, or Cycle Snake, is the city’s newest elevated cycle path. The orange cycle lane is the latest addition to Copenhagen's innovative approach to cycling infrastructure and connects to the harbour bridge, leaving the ground level free for pedestrians. The 220 metre long Cykelslangen was opened on 29 June, after eight years of planning and construction. Copenhagen is renowned for being a cycling city, as some 36 per cent of daily commutes are undert
  • New system to prevent Hazchem and over-height vehicles entering tunnel
    August 20, 2015
    An impending move to free-flow charging prompted a search for automated dangerous goods identification and over-height detection systems at the Thames Crossing to the east of London. Manned toll booths are increasingly being consigned to history by the onslaught of all-electronic charging. However, a secondary function of the traditional manned plazas has been to prevent non-compliant vehicles using the facility or to tell a driver that that they need to use a specific lane or wait for an escort. Automating
  • TransCore to upgrade Delaware River bridge toll system
    October 1, 2015
    The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) has awarded TransCore a US$24.9 million multi-year design-build-maintain contract for a complete overhaul of the agency’s toll collection system infrastructure. The modernisation project will include virtually every aspect of the agency’s toll system: manual cash collections, conventional toll-lane E-ZPass transactions, highway-speed open-road tolling, and future all-electronic tolling at the Scudder Falls replacement bridge.
  • Virginia Tech reveals vested interest
    May 9, 2019
    New ITS systems on either side of the Atlantic – such as an intriguing piece of connected clothing – aim to reduce the casualty toll among road maintenance personnel, says Alan Dron t’s not a lot of fun working on road maintenance or road construction worksites. By definition, you’re out in all weathers. You’re not popular with motorists, who blame you for hold-ups. It’s frequently physically arduous. And, worst of all, the sector has an unenviable record of injuries - even fatalities. Often working jus