UPDATE: Northdene hole story still has residents frustrated
The hole has caused frustration among residents who feel months of having an open excavation in the middle of a busy intersection is very dangerous.
A MASSIVE hole at the intersection of Pioneer Road, Jan Smuts Avenue and Montgomery Crescent in the heart of Northdene has left residents and motorists frustrated as they have to navigate around the hole almost daily.
Northdene
The intersection, which is at the bottom of the one-way road leading past Northdene Preparatory School, has for months featured a deep excavation on the corner between Pioneer Road and Montgomery Crescent.
The hole is so big it takes up the entire path around a traffic island in the middle of the intersection.
Counterflow
This means anyone driving towards Montgomery or Jan Smuts Avenue from Pioneer Road has to drive on the wrong side of the road up towards the one way road coming down from the school, to get around the traffic island and the hole.
Ashley Mauritz, a resident in the area fi rst contacted the Queensburgh News about the hole at the beginning of July about the hole which he claimed had been left as is for more than a week.
“An old lady’s front wheel was over the hole, off the tar and above the water,” he said, describing an incident he had witnessed. Meanwhile, residents living in the roads surrounding the big hole have begun to set up tape to help drivers spot it.
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“This could be dangerous as anyone could drive into it if they are not used to driving in this area,” said Mauritz.
Another resident in the area, Angelique Rossouw who lives in Pioneer Crescent said she walks past the hole each day.
“I walked my son to school when it was open and we were fearful as the cars have to drive on the wrong side of the road and it’s just not safe to be walking there. We even run in the mornings and I sprained my ankle on that garbage. Its just been way too long and is such a eye sore for our community.”
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“It’s scary how long they have left that hole,” said Rossouw.
“Not only is it dangerous for drivers, but all the people who walk past it. I was almost hit last year at that stop street when a car didn’t stop at the stop street,” she said, explaining how recklessly drivers use the corner.
Street lights
Dylan Botha, who works nearby said: “There are no street lights on Pioneer Road, so people are riding and driving blind.”
Other areas which have had breaks in water pipes resulting in the type of excavation visible in the road have been repaired and re-tarred.
Shaun Govender, who lives in the house on the same corner where the excavation is being done said municipal workers had been informed over three months.
“I feel like this has just been forgotten about,” he said in August.
Govender said: “Municipal services come past here weekly to pick up rubbish and other services also come past here frequently, but still this is left like this,” he said shaking his head.
Sand
Gert Mauritz, who lives across Pioneer Road from the hole said municipal work vehicles come past regularly. “They come here and get sand from the verge to use to fix holes in other areas,” he said.
“Almost every second day someone comes past, some times they just sit there and look at the hole, and then leave again.”
Although the Queensburgh News asked the municipality for comment midway through July, and again in August, by the end of September they had still not received a reply.
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UPDATE: On 15 October when the Queensburgh News visited the site of the hole again it appeared to have been filled in with sand although there were still edges of the hole where the sand had subsided, and the rubble was still on the grass verge at the intersection. Vehicles were also still having to carefully navigate past the parts of the filled in hole that weren’t properly filled up.
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