78% of bridges in South Africa’s richest city crumbling and unsafe

Johannesburg’s motorway bridges are deteriorating, with 68 bridges across the city currently in need of urgent rehabilitation or reconstruction.

The City of Johannesburg has estimated that 78% of its bridges are in poor or very poor condition, while less than 6% are in good condition.

Many of the city’s 902 bridges have been classified as high-risk and unsafe, with at least 20 bridges on the brink of total closure.

The cost to bring Johannesburg’s bridges up to an acceptable standard was estimated at R37 billion, as part of a much larger road infrastructure backlog of R276 billion.

This is far more than the City has budgeted for bridge repairs, with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) allocating R152 million for bridge rehabilitation during the 2025/26 financial year.

This included a R32.7 million reconstruction of the Sjampanje bridge, as well as repairs for the Elias Motsoaledi bridge, the Moroka Nancefield road bridge, the FNB Stadium bridge, the Lenasia bridge, and the New Naledi bridge.

Despite being placed on the JRA’s priority list, the Sjampanje bridge reconstruction project remains incomplete as of October 2026.

Many of the bridges across Johannesburg are more than 50 years old, with reports that over 900 of the City’s bridges have not been properly inspected in over a decade.

JRA CEO Zweli Nyathi has said his agency would require an annual budget of R10 billion to repair between 15 and 20 of the City’s bridges, more than four times its current budget.

The Democratic Alliance launched a campaign to spotlight Johannesburg’s deteriorating bridges, placing red warning flags on several bridges across the City.

This includes stretches of the M1 freeway, as well as the Hercules Bridge, which the party says is the only exit route for a complex housing over 1,000 people, among others.

Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate Helen Zille questioned the City’s awarding of a R25 million tender to a Limpopo-based company, which it alleged has been deregistered three times.

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the DA would be fined for illegally placing signs on the bridges.

He added that the JMPD would consult the IEC for further action, while Zille confirmed that her party had not sought official approval before launching the campaign.