The M4 Tongaat River Bridge in KwaZulu-Natal, which was damaged in floods in April last year, is scheduled to open before Christmas.

In a progress statement from the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) to the iLembe Chamber of Commerce, the agency said barring any unforeseen external delays, the bridge will be open by December 19. 

Sanral was assigned to construct the temporary support and bridge jacking. 

“The four 1,050mm oscillator bored piles have been installed and some minor remedial work is being carried out on one of them. The earthworks and preparation of the founding surface for the reinforced concrete ring beam is in progress, as are the repairs to spalling under the bridge,” it said.

“Work on non-critical path items such as guardrail replacement, bridge handrail replacement, asphalting, bridge joints and road markings will commence in the coming weeks.

“Overall, the works are a few days behind programme due to the remedial work required on one of the piles.”

The floods rendered three economic arteries of the iLembe district — the M4, R102 and P103 — impassable, while the N2 remained severely restricted.   

The private sector, businesses and farmers funded and implemented temporary solutions on the R102 and P103 after inaction from road authorities.

The M4 highway connects Durban's inner city to Ballito in the north and passes through the holiday hotspots of Umhlanga and Umdloti.

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