A recent picture of the Lower Silvermine Wetland bridge taken by ward councillor Izabel Sherry.
Drilling work will be carried out in the Silvermine Wetland from Monday October 21 to the end of January next year to reroute electrical cables and secure the electrical supply in Clovelly, Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, Kommetjie, and surrounding areas, says the City.
In August, the Echo reported that the power supply to the valley relies on cables running through the collapsed bridge in the wetland.
At the time, Dave Balfour, chairperson of Friends of Silvermine Nature Area (Fosna), said increased water flow under the pipe bridge had eroded the ground beneath the supporting pillars, causing some to sink, which posed a potential risk to Fish Hoek’s electricity supply (“Valley power supply in peril,” Echo, August 22).
Mr Balfour said the bridge, which had not collapsed in its entirety, was not supporting the power cables and the City would be drilling under the river bed to install tubing to hold the power cables, which was a better long-term solution.
Ward councillor Izabel Sherry said the bridge would stay closed until the drilling was complete and the cables had been rerouted.
Once that is done, she said, the City aimed to remove the bridge as it was “damaged and cannot be saved”.
Mr Balfour said many members of the community relied on the bridge to get to work, and the community was keen to see it fully functional for foot traffic.
Ms Sherry said she could not say when the bridge would be removed as moving the cables was the City’s main priority.
Drilling work would be done during working hours only - not weekends or public holidays - and residents would have electricity supply but could expect noise during working hours, said the City.