The rehabilitation of the Snake Road sinkhole in Benoni is complete and the road is open for traffic.
This sinkhole, which developed on November 19, grew to about 15m wide and 15m deep within a short space of time, leading to the closure of the road.
A geotechnical assessment revealed the area is not dolomitic and the cause of the sinkhole was leakage from a broken concrete stormwater pipe.
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This led to subsurface mobilisation, washing away all sub-base layers over a period of time developing an open cavity underneath the tar road.
Heavy rains at the end of last year exacerbated the situation, opening erosion channels from the surface and resulting in the collapse of the surface.
The work to rehabilitate the sinkhole started in January.
The following work, which amounts to 95 per cent of the work, has already been done:
• The leaking stormwater line has been excavated and replaced.
• All wet services around this area have been checked or inspected for leaks and repaired.
• The sinkhole has been backfilled and compacted.
• The road re-surfacing is being done.
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According to the City’s roads and stormwater official, Edwin Mathagu, who is based at the Benoni Depot, finishing work is being done on the road in readiness for its opening.
A resident of Rynfield in Benoni, Thandi Matshepo, thanked the City for rehabilitating the road.
“Finally, I can go to Carnival City without going through Benoni CBD, which was time-consuming because of traffic,” Matshepo said.
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