Bridges are getting destroyed in South Africa’s richest city

The Johannesburg Roads Agency warned that vandals cause severe damage to city bridges, including illegal excavations and fires beneath the structures.

The City of Johannesburg is suffering a tremendous infrastructure collapse, including its hundreds of bridges and roads.

A recent report stated that only 6% of the city’s 902 bridges are in good condition, and the cost to bring the rest up to an acceptable standard is R37 billion.

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) revealed that 702 of Johannesburg’s bridges, or 78%, are in poor or very poor condition. 20 are on the brink of closure.

What is particularly concerning is that the situation may be much worse, as these numbers are based on outdated data.

The deteriorating state of Johannesburg’s bridges mirrors the decline of other critical infrastructure across the city.

According to a Sunday Times report, the Johannesburg Road Agency, which must maintain the city’s roads and bridges, has a R276 billion backlog.

The report showed a R37 billion backlog for bridge maintenance, R90 billion for roads, and R4 billion for sidewalks.

Former Johannesburg Mayor, Geoff Makhubo, highlighted that most bridges in the city are older than 50 years and require urgent repairs and rejuvenation.

This includes removing sediment around bridge abutments caused by swiftly moving water, which compromises the integrity of the structure.

The JRA added that it was concerned about vandalism on some bridges, where components are removed, damaged, or tampered with.

Johannesburg Roads Agency oversight visit

On 22 June 2026, the Johannesburg Roads Agency visited numerous bridges to assess the impact of vandalism on important bridges in the city.

It pointed to numerous cases where people caused damage to bridges and the surrounding areas, creating a dangerous environment for motorists.

Under the M2 bridge, there was intentional, illegal excavation. “This damage directly threatens the bridge’s support structures,” it said.

“It compromises the safety of thousands of daily commuters. We must act now to protect our city’s infrastructure from further destruction.”

There was also an illegal business under the M2 bridge. “After educating the owner on the severe safety risks, we halted their operations immediately,” it said.

In another area, it found vandalism and fires beneath the bridge structures, which pose a major threat to structural stability.

“While the bridge currently remains secure, immediate intervention is necessary to prevent long-term erosion and potential infrastructure destabilisation,” it said.

In End Street, under the M2 East Bridge, the Johannesburg Roads Agency assessed the impact of encampments.

“Working with the City’s Social Development team, we are taking steps to safely relocate individuals and secure this vital infrastructure,” it said.

It also visited the Heidelberg Road bridges, where similar problems as with the other bridges were discovered.

“Vandalism, infrastructure theft, and illegal encampments are severely damaging critical bridge components and stormwater systems,” it said.

It explained that these actions directly undermine Johannesburg Roads Agency’s efforts to improve the city’s road network.

“While our bridges remain structurally safe, we are taking immediate action to address the safety threats observed during the tour,” the agency said.

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Photos of bridges in Johannesburg

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