Dug trench on Avondgloed Road and Fleur Street pose danger to public
“Because the excavation was never tarred, officials said the weight and pressure of vehicles broke a connection.”
Community safety has been thrust into the spotlight as the temporary repair work at the trench Spanning Avondgloed Road starts to deteriorate.
Located near the T-junction of Avondgloed Road and Fleur Street, workers dug the trench across the road, at least 2.5m deep in some locations.
According to the CoE, initially, workers dug the trench to repair a collapsed sewer pipe running under Avondgloed Road. It needs to replace an entire section of pipe under the road.
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The trench was open for three months, hindering motorists and putting children and pedestrians at risk.
At the time, CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini explained that the trench was left open for so long because the city needed to do urgent repair work in Elandsfontein.
Ward 92 Clr Kade Guerreiro said that currently, the trench is filled with soil. However, some of it had eroded.
A water leak on Fleur Street caused the soil erosion.
It has turned the trench back into an obstacle for motorists, forcing them to come to a halt to cross it.
“A water pipe burst over the weekend of June 21 and 23, causing water to run towards the trench.
“Officials did testing and discovered there is also a problem with the pipes underneath the soil,” said Guerreiro.
He said some of the pipes are allegedly broken.
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According to Guerreiro, plastic pipes should replace the existing clay pipes, but only the connections were replaced.
He said the burst pipe was repaired on June 25.
“Because the excavation was never tarred, officials said the weight and pressure of vehicles broke a connection. The trench will have to be dug open and the repairs done again,” said Guerreiro.
He said the community was lucky this time because the water leak only ran for three days before being repaired.
“I need this road open. Everybody uses it; it’s a main thoroughfare for the area.”
Although the road is a main thoroughfare, Guerreiro said he is concerned about the lack of warning signs around the excavation.
He believes it could damage one’s vehicle if a motorist does not notice the work site in time, or a driver could lose control and cause a collision if they drive through it while it’s wet and muddy.
Guerreiro said the wasteful expenditure upsets him the most about the situation. He said the repair job should have been done right the first time instead of now having to pay twice.
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“Instead of doing temporary work, the problem should be identified correctly and the entire pipe replaced.”
In light of the excavation reopening, Guerreiro has asked that the city appoint contractors to remedy the matter.
A request for comment was sent to the CoE on June 26, requesting comment by June 28 at 13:30.
At the time of going to print, we had received no comment.
