Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe has raised concerns over the state of roads in Midrand.
She said that she is particularly worried about the intersection of Smuts Drive and Oracle Close, which leads to the entrance of the Midrand Police Station, and is currently riddled with potholes.
Deppe said, “This has been deteriorating over several months. As you would know, if no maintenance is done for months the roads will crumble. Surely the City must have a conscience when they are sitting at home earning a salary when others have to go to work. How do they expect the SAPS and citizens to drive in and out of the Midrand Police Station with roads like this?” She added, “Where are the inspectors who are supposed to drive around every day to pick up all the service delivery issues in the wards?”
Spokesperson for Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) Mosa Makhalima said that their depot will conduct a site visit and schedule repair. She added that a contractor will be assigned to Region A to speed up pothole repairs and reinstatement.
Makhalima added that the agency is running a pothole repair plan which started on 22 February and is expected to end on 15 June, “The JRA manages approximately 14 000 km of road network, most of these roads are older than 30 years, which is usually over design lifespan for urban roads, but now fall under old infrastructure.
The condition of many of the roads across the network ranges from poor to very poor, and they require major rehabilitation if not reconstruction.” She concluded, “The increasing amount of rainfall in Johannesburg, makes it difficult for contractors to complete work on time, causing not only delays but creating more problems on our already dilapidated road infrastructure.”
Details: Johannesburg Road Agency www.jra.org.za
