Repairs under way in Joburg CBD after last year's gas explosion

11 January 2024 - 14:52
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Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Bree) Street in Johannesburg's CBD after an explosion last year.
Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Bree) Street in Johannesburg's CBD after an explosion last year.
Image: ANTONIO MUCHAVE

The City of Johannesburg has started repairs on Lilian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree) in the CBD after the devastating gas explosion last year.

Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said on Thursday efforts to rehabilitate the street and implement a public environment upgrade in the area are under way.

A contractor has been appointed to excavate and remove the rubble and damaged infrastructure, demolish and remove the service tunnels and construct and replace the tunnels and infrastructure.

Modern health and safety measures to mitigate the risk of similar disasters in future will be installed. This includes gas, heat, smoke detection and ventilation systems, he said. 

Earlier, Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink said the estimated cost for repairs was R178m but that might change once the municipality received the detailed designs for the entire project.  

Gwamanda said: “Our intentions are to create a safe and conducive environment for economic activity, formal and informal, with ease of passage and movement of people into and through Lillian Ngoyi.

“The focus is also to ensure we integrate economic development, healthy public environment operations such as ablution facilities, food processing services and precinct operations and maintenance services.”

The explosion caused the road to cave in and left a huge gash in the tarmac. One person was confirmed dead after he was found under a vehicle that had been hurled into the air during the explosion. 

TimesLIVE


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