After ten years, the Salt River bridge is still a traffic headache
Concrete barriers on the Voortrekker Road bridge in Salt River have delayed traffic for over 10 years.
Image: Armand Hough/ Independent Newspapers
Residents and businesses in Salt River have slated the unresolved safety and traffic congestion issues caused by the concrete bollards and barriers on the Voortrekker Road bridge.
The barriers were installed after a fire beneath the bridge in December 2015 damaged part of the structure, prompting the closure of a lane as a precaution.
But more than 10 years later, commuters are still enduring severe traffic congestion.
Resident, Dr Rashied Omar, who raised the issue in correspondence with the City of Cape Town’s Urban Mobility Directorate, ward councillors and the Passenger Rail Agency SA (PRASA) Western Cape, said the long-standing lane closure has resulted in persistent traffic congestion and frustration.
“Nearly a decade later, these ‘temporary’ measures remain in place,” he said.
“If the bridge has been repaired, then the bollards should be removed without further delay. If it has not, the public deserves a clear explanation and a firm timeline for completion,” he said.
Omar said residents had not received a formal update on the status of the repairs as of April, raising concerns about communication and transparency.
He said heavy trucks linked to nearby industrial activity were frequently seen parking along the bridge after offloading cargo.
“Members of the community have lodged multiple complaints with traffic authorities, yet there has been little visible enforcement or follow-up,” he said.
Resident, Shariefa Job, said congestion around the bridge created a daily bottleneck, particularly during peak hours.
“It starts as two lanes and then becomes one, causing near accidents as vehicles try to merge.
“There is also a MyCiTi bus stop just past the bottleneck, which creates a domino effect and adds to congestion.
She said the route was heavily used by trucks and served as a key link between the northern and southern suburbs, leading to delays and traffic backing up beyond Church Street.
Matthew Lukas, who runs Good Hope Meat Hyper near the Salt River circle, said traffic congestion had worsened over the years and was affecting business.
“We’ve been here for 53 years and have seen the increase in traffic towards Bellville and the southern suburbs,” he said.
“If there is an accident, traffic piles up around the circle, and when there are roadblocks, customers struggle to access the shop and often have to drive towards town to make a U-turn.”
“At times like that, our business goes completely quiet.”
Lukas added that taxis stopping to pick up commuters, as well as trucks queueing near the nearby container depot, were adding to congestion.
The City’s mayco member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, said structural repairs were signed off by PRASA engineers last week, and the City is in the process of scheduling the re-opening of the eastbound lane.
He said this should be done in coming weeks, if "all goes according to plan".
"The reopening will entail the removal of new jersey barriers and flexible bollards.
"Given that the repairs have been signed off by PRASA engineers, the City is now taking the necessary steps to re-open this lane which should happen before the end of the month, if all goes as planned," said Quintas.
PRASA did not respond to repeated requests for comment by deadline.
Ward 115 councillor Ian McMahon said steps had been taken to improve traffic flow, including upgrading the Salt River circle.
“Traffic specifically around Salt River circle, being a five-junction circle, is vast. That’s why I pushed to make it a two-lane circle, similar to Green Point, so it can handle increased volumes,” McMahon said.
He said the upgrade, implemented in 2024, had improved traffic conditions.
“Traffic is far better now than prior to the making of the circle from one lane to two,” he said.
However, he said the lane restriction on the Voortrekker Road bridge had remained an issue.
“The issue of the damaged soffits under the Voortrekker bridge has meant that there is a lane restriction to one lane to decrease possible weight,” McMahon said.
He said PRASA was responsible for repairs to the bridge structure.
McMahon added that increased truck traffic linked to a nearby container terminal, as well as illegal truck staging along Voortrekker Road, were contributing to congestion and were being monitored by traffic officials.