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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Jakes Gerwel closure due to sand digging under bridge

Published on

 

UPDATE: Two lanes have been re-opened 

 

Jakes Gerwel Drive at Viking Road, in the direction of the N2, was closed on Friday, after City officials discovered people had been digging out sand from under the Bonteheuwel Bridge, which has impacted the integrity of the road.

 

The City’s Roads Infrastructure Management Department says it had no other choice but to intervene after an inspection on Friday revealed a tunnel had been dug under the bridge, heightening the risk of surface failure of this road segment.

 

bridge
A section of Jakes Gerwel Drive is at risk of collapsing after the City discovered people had dug large amounts of sand from under the Bonteheuwel Bridge

 

The Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility Rob Quintas says the Roads Infrastructure Management team is busy implementing appropriate measures to ensure the safety of road users.

 

‘This past Friday we made the startling discovery of this road’s integrity being compromised. It appears that there are people who have been digging out the sand under this bridge which has led to a segment of the road being vulnerable to collapse.’

 

Quintas has expressed concern that certain community members continue to remove material from under this bridge.

 

He has appealed to residents to stop this practice immediately and that members of the public who spot anyone removing anything under his bridge to report the matter to the City’s call centre, on 0860 103 089.

 

A tunnel has been dug under the Bonteheuwel Bridge, after certain community members removed large amounts of sand
Liesl Smit
Liesl Smit
Liesl is the Smile 90.4FM News Manager. She has been at Smile since 2016, with nearly 20 years experience in the radio industry, including reading news, field reporting and producing. In 2008 she won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award, Western Cape region. liesl@smile904.fm

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