Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The Roads Authority (RA) has confirmed that rehabilitation work on the damaged bridge near the Osona Village, between Windhoek and Okahandja, will begin in the first half of this year following concerns over its structural condition.
The move comes after the RA announced on 22 March that the old part of the B1 Road between Windhoek and Okahandja had been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure due to heavy rains.
In a notice shared on its social media platforms, the RA urged all road users, including residents of Osona Village, to use the freeway as an alternative route.
“We urge motorists to refrain from travelling on this road and adhere to the erected road signage,” the RA said.
Motorists travelling the route reported observing cracks in the structure of the bridge between Osona Village and the Osona military base, raising fears of a potential collapse.
The RA’s spokesperson, Hileni Fillimon, told the Windhoek Observer on Tuesday that the cracks were discovered during the RA’s annual bridge assessment.
“The Roads Authority conducts bridge assessments every year, and in our evaluation last year, it was discovered that the bridge was sinking. This is due to the frequency of heavy vehicles on that road and the fact that the bridge is old, as it was constructed many years ago,” she said.
Fillimon said the damage has already been assessed, and the procurement process to appoint a contractor is nearly complete. The cost of repairs will be shared once the contractor is officially appointed.
“The rehabilitation of this bridge was put on our priority list, and we immediately commenced the procurement process to appoint a contractor. This process is almost done, and a local contractor will be appointed to carry out the work. Because of this, we took a proactive approach to temporarily close the bridge for all road users’ safety as a precautionary measure,” she added.
RA Chief Executive Officer Conrad Lutombi said the reconstruction of the damaged bridge could cost up to N$10 million and is expected to take approximately seven months to complete.
Meanwhile, the RA has also deployed a technical team to assess damage on the Windhoek-Rehoboth road following last week’s heavy rains.
The Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, said the government will use emergency procurement procedures to fast-track the repairs to the bridge in order to avoid unnecessary delays.
