A truck driver is facing charges of reckless and negligent driving after a truck crash on the N1 in Cape Town’s city centre over the weekend.
Videos of Saturday’s incident, which began circulating on social media, showed the damage after the truck crashed into the pedestrian bridge. That bridge crosses the N1, connecting Lower Church Street in Woodstock to FW de Klerk Boulevard.
That section of road, both inbound and outbound, was closed until the early hours of Monday morning, as engineers carried out structural repairs. All lanes were reopened ahead of peak morning traffic.
“The preliminary repair efforts saw the pedestrian bridge… made safe by two cranes lifting a 100-tonne section of the bridge and realigning it,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas.
Quintas said they would use this week to assess and plan for any additional “remedial and aesthetic” repairs that need to be done.
Meanwhile, the city’s Safety and Security chief, JP Smith, said they intend to hold the implicated trucking company responsible for all the charges and the cost of repairs to the bridge.
He confirmed the arrest of the truck’s driver, adding that the truck had been impounded.
“Traffic Services confirms that the truck driver was arrested on a charge of reckless and negligent driving. The truck has also been impounded,” confirmed the City’s Traffic Services spokesperson, Kevin Jacobs.
