Ekurhuleni acting spokesperson Themba Gadebe said asphalt still has to be poured before the road is fully repaired.
This will include a “cold mix” asphalt layer (poured between January 27 to 31) as an interim measure, until the tender to place the final layer is undertaken (by the end of March).
He said the water main has been repaired and the area has been compacted. The repair work was delayed over Christmas.
“During the December holidays, suppliers to contractors were closed,” said Gadebe.
“In January we experienced difficulties in obtaining a tender to supply the asphalt.”
A hole, with a width of about 1m, emerged on Tom Jones Street in mid-November.
It was caused by a leaking water main, that resulted in the road surface sagging.
“It was not a sinkhole or related to the storm water drain that collapsed on Tom Jones Street,” said Gadebe.
“The infrastructure in the CBD of Benoni is very old and sensitive.
“It is believed that while the collapsed drain was being repaired, the water pipe may have been disturbed and started leaking.
” Tom Jones Street was repaired from early 2012 until June 2013, after a collapsed storm water drain rendered sections of the road inaccessible to vehicles.
