M13 needs urgent intervention

HILLCREST engineer, Malcolm Mitchell, who has attempted to point out the problems related to the poor routine and special maintenance of the M13, has also spoken out following an article that was recently published in the Highway Mail.

In December, the article highlighted the constant complaints from concerned residents regarding the state of the M13 and the alleged lack of plans to address the growing issues.

ALSO READ: M13 highway is on the verge of collapse 

Gerard Rudolph, one of the residents, said his concern was that the M13 off-ramp to Hillcrest/Winston Park was on the verge of collapse due to heavy rain. He has reported the matter on numerous occasions.

Mitchell said he is one of the many professional roads engineers who have attempted to point out the problems related to ‘poor’ routine and special maintenance along the section of road between Pinetown and Hillcrest.

He noted that provincial road authority’s lack of attention has caused a damaging ripple effect. He highlighted there could be potential road instability due to the lack of adequate stormwater drainage.

“Our entreaties have fallen on deaf ears,” said Mitchell.

“The condition of road networks is set to an international standard and is judged by the percentage of the network that falls into the categories of ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ conditions.”

He explained that a common rule of thumb is that this figure should not exceed 10 per cent.

“In 1988 the figure for South African provincial roads, including KZN, was 8 per cent. Currently, provincial roads in this country are in the range of 40 per cent to 60 per cent, with KZN being among the worst.

“Everybody is aware of the consequences of SAA, Eskom and PRASA not heeding warnings over the years of their steadily deteriorating operations. I hope the KZN provincial road authority will take heed of warnings on the condition state of their roads,” he said.

Mitchell said this poor condition of provincial roads, especially in KZN, did not have to be so. “There is a very good example, provided by SANRAL, whose national road network is of world class. What is needed is to restore the institutional memory of the province with regards to roads,” he commented.

He indicated that about 50 years ago, the KZN provincial road department employed nearly 60 professional roads engineers.

“I gather that they only have two or three and their workload is dictated by the growth in road traffic, which is at least twice the figure it was in the 1970s.

“Will we ever learn that politics and incompetence are not good bedfellows for efficient service provision?” asked a concerned Mitchell.

Ward 10 councillor, Tex Collins, said, “The M13 is a mess and is nothing more than a massive hazard.

“All broken armco barriers need replacing and overgrown verges need maintenance.

“Field’s Hill is a nightmare. No cat’s eyes, no barriers, poor signage and insufficient drainage on an extremely dangerous and high-volume road that needs constant policing and on-going maintenance.

“Province has done nothing to assist and simply sit on their hands. They have proved to be singularly useless.”

The Department of Transport did not comment by the time of going to print.

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