The potholed stretch of Madeley Road near the East Rand Mall is finally being repaired after numerous complaints and attempts to get road authorities to patch the dozens of recurring holes.
Earlier this year, residents and motorists were left furious when potholes re-emerged on the stretch, following the rainy season.
The large potholes had taken over almost the entire road, making it difficult for motorists to drive on it in a straight line.
The metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed that municipal workers had been sent out to patch the potholes on the affected road as a short-term solution.
“Madeley Road is on the priority for 2021/22 financial year to rehabilitate.. In the meantime, ongoing patching of potholes is in place scheduled to be done by August,” explained Dlamini.
The metro also committed to doing the road markings this week, between August 16 and 20.
It, however, remains to be seen how long this will last as this publication has noticed that as vehicles drive over some of the newly filled potholes, more of the asphalt material chips away already.
Decaying roads neglected
According to Ward 33 councillor Ashley Woods, the situation on Madeley Road is just the tip of the iceberg, saying he is not pleased with the metro’s ‘slow’ progress to repair the many decaying roads in the ward and across the City.
“Road conditions, in my ward, in particular, are a lot worse than many people think. Many roads, including main roads, have been neglected by the Edenvale Roads depot servicing the area.
“With regards to Madeley Road, we have for years been trying to get the municipality to carry out more lasting improvements on the road since 2017.
“In that year, the metro then appointed a service provider to evaluate the road, and the outcome of the evaluation was that the road required reconstruction instead of rehabilitation,” explained Woods.
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