A different view on current affairs & history
Bridges featured prolifically in Port Elizabeth’s storied history. In the early days the town was bifurcated into Town and South End by the pesky Baakens River with its the rude predilection for periodically wash away the bridges leaving the South Enders trapped on the south side of the river until the water subsided. Local ingenuity would emerge and entrepreneurs would provide alternative means of crossing usually by means of a makeshift raft.
Main picture: Folley’s Bridge
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Like all river crossings before the advent of pontoons and later bridges, the travellers could only cross the river at locations sufficiently far inland so as not to be affected by tidal inflows while still being as close to the coast as possible. Furthermore both of the ingress and egress points had to be characterised by gentle slopes.
This blog covers the evolution of the crossing of the Gamtoos River from pontoon to a single lane bridge.
Main picture: Ferry across the Gamtoos River