‘This road closure follows a major collision that occurred early this morning. A heavy flatbed articulated truck carrying a large, heavy-duty industrial tank, struck the underside of the Lower Church Street pedestrian footbridge while travelling outbound. The impact dislodged the load from the truck, causing it to tip over into the roadway. This resulted in severe structural concrete spalling, exposed reinforcing steel, and cracking along the underside of the pedestrian bridge deck. This also resulted in concrete debris and shatter fragments spread across multiple outbound traffic lanes,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

City Emergency Services, Fire & Rescue, and Law Enforcement were dispatched immediately to secure the scene. Structural engineers and cleanup crews are actively inspecting the bridge's integrity and clearing the heavy debris from the highway.

‘At the moment, we can’t really say when this road will be open. It is pending the outcome of inspection. The City aims to reopen the road as soon as possible, subject to structural safety clearance.’

Motorists exiting and entering the CBD are urged to avoid the N1 stretch near Lower Church Street and make use of alternative routes:

• Albert Road/Sir Lowry Road through Woodstock/Salt River to reconnect further downstream.
• N2 Outbound (Nelson Mandela Boulevard) as a primary detour out of the city centre.

The City thanks residents and commuters for their patience and cooperation while emergency crews work to safely restore access.