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Update: 

The City of Cape Town confirmed that the truck driver who damaged a bridge on the N1 outbound last Friday, 11 October, will appear in court tomorrow on charges of reckless and negligent driving, reports Cape {town} Etc.

‘The infrastructure, economic and emotional damage caused by one person’s actions cannot be tolerated. I trust that the court will take these factors into account when dealing with this case,’ comments City’s MMC for Safety and Security JP Smith.

‘We understand that the trucking industry is an important cog in our economy, but there is a responsibility to ensure that drivers and vehicles are fit for purpose. Work is still underway to determine the extent of the damage to the bridge, which has caused additional ad hoc lane closures on the N1.’

Traffic SA confirmed on X that the N1 Highway bridge remains closed:

The collision, which had Cape Town motorists in a metro-wide traffic jam, resulted in the truck being impounded. According to Smith, the truck driver was one of 317 suspects arrested by City enforcement agencies in the past week.

‘I will be liaising with the relevant City departments to ensure that a claim for damages is instituted against the owner of the truck,’ added Smith. ‘I will also ask that the City’s Traffic Service works to ensure greater compliance in the trucking sector.’

A collision on Church Street has resulted in the closure of the N1 outbound at Woodstock, where the bridge is located.

Locals have been advised to make use of alternative routes to leave the city, Cape {town} Etc reports.

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The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning at the Lower Church Street bridge in the Woodstock area.

The City of Cape Town Traffic Services spokesperson confirmed that traffic would not be allowed to cross until the structural integrity of the bridge has been assessed.

News24 confirmed that no injuries have been reported.

The driver however has been arrested and the truck has been impounded.

Social media users have taken to the comments section to share their thoughts.

‘How many times are truck drivers going to do this? I hope the truck operator is going to be penalised to the fullest extent of the law?’ questioned a Facebook user, as they expressed their anger towards the incident.

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Picture: Cllr Ian McMahon / Facebook

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