While the City of Johannesburg is preparing to reopen the M2 bridge which has been closed for eight months, 50 more bridges in the city are in need of urgent repairs.

This was revealed by Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) head of infrastructure development Siyabonga Genu to Sowetan yesterday. JRA has already done assessment and prioritised bridges needing urgent attention.

"Across the city we have approximately 50 bridges that require urgent repairs. The implementation of all these repairs is budget dependent.

"We are currently busy with the repairs of Joe Nhlanhla bridge in Alexandra, South Road bridge and Spring Road bridge in the west of Johannesburg," Genu said.

He said the city was on track to reopen the M2 bridge between the Crown Interchange and Maritzburg Street on the highway on November 4 after it was rehabilitated.

Emergency repairs to sections of the motorway started after an assessment revealed that the structural integrity of the concrete elements was severely reduced. The M2 is one of the city's main motorways and links the N3 and M1 with the city and the western parts of Johannesburg.