Beukes Road repairs are underway
Last March, the Kempton Express reported that residents complained after the road was closed for two months.
The crumbing stormwater infrastructure under the “flawed” Beukes Road has been a cause for concern for the residents for many years.
Collapsing pipes under the roadway caused a large portion of the road to disintegrate, and residents renamed it the “Beukus Road Gat”.
Recently, residents were told that a section of the road would be closed for two days to facilitate attempts to repair the underground infrastructure.
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In 2021, Ward 15 Clr Amanda Davison said the hole formed on the roadway was due to a flawed manhole design on Beukes Road.
“This area has been an issue for over 15 years, with the hole getting bigger and bigger.
“The stormwater system has a design flaw. The T-junction at the end of the road forces the stormwater up through the manholes instead of directing it away towards the catchment area,” Davidson said.
She added that the flawed design had caused the road surface to break up and debris to flood towards Pretoria Road.
A portion of the road on the corner of Beukes and Stephanus roads collapsed in January 2022 after the heavy rains.
Last March, the Kempton Express reported that residents complained after the road was closed for two months.
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The road is a main route used by residents to access Pretoria Road.
At the time, the Kempton Express questioned the CoE about the lack of feedback to residents and motorists, plans to repair the road and the repair timeline.
The spokesperson for the CoE, Zweli Dlamini, said city officials had been in contact with the area’s ward councillor regarding the Beukes Road situation.
At the time, Dlamini said the CoE was waiting for the appointment of service providers before any remedial work could be completed at the intersection of Beukes and Stephanus roads.
He said appointing service providers is subject to approval by the city’s Bid Adjudication Committee.
Two weeks ago, the Kempton Express arrived at the Beukes Road construction site where contractors from Shuma Africa Pty (Ltd) had begun work.
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“We installed a stormwater pipe to increase the capacity of the line. The previous pipeline was a low-capacity one that could not carry the high volume of stormwater produced by the area,” said Rendani Mamuremi, an engineering consultant from Shuma Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Mamureni mentioned that his team had received all the pertinent information regarding the history of the Beukes Road Gat.
Davidson confirmed that the previous pipeline’s capacity was insufficient to hold the stormwater from the area.
“The pipeline’s capacity is being increased by installing two 1.2m lines, which should be enough for all this stormwater. The new lines should manage without breaking through the road again,” Davidson said.
She added that she can only hope this is the last time the Beukes Road Gat gets worked on.
