NELSPRUIT – Travel along any of the region’s gravel roads and you will probably find that, at some point, it leads to an exposed water pipe. Every few months, in an attempt to keep the thousands of kilometres of gravel roads accessible, authorities send in a small army of graders to smooth the surface, removing more and more soil and thereby exposing bedrock and services that run underneath the roads. While the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (DPWRT) says it doesn’t have the resources to deal with the necessary road maintenance, residents along many of the deteriorating gravel roads say, “just get the basics right!”.
According to engineering advisor for Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), Mr Theuns Steyn, there is no evidnce of adequate provision for water run-offs on any of the roads in the Nelspruit locality. Lowvelder inspected five during the past week, namely Sterkspruit, Cairn, Hilltop, Hermansburg and Heidel Valley, and found the same.
The dirt on gravel roads
• The total length of gravel roads, provincial and municipal, in the Ehlanzeni district is 1674km and 6781km, which equals 8 455km
• The total length of gravel bus routes are 33km in Thaba Chweu, 56km in Mbombela, 18km in Umjindi, 187km in Nkomazi and 421km in Bushbuckridge
• 74 per cent of gravel roads in the district require realignment, reconstruction and base-failure corrections
• The estimated cost to regravel 1km of road varies between R250k and R420k per kilometre
• Regravelling projects for 2012 to 2014 in Ehlanzeni include 10km between Siphilenyane and Clau Clau in Mbombela for R2,7m; another 3km between Barberton and KaMakesh (R2,2m)
• A roads hierarchy was developed by the Elhalnzeni Districtic Municipality and DPWRT in 2009, with the following critera: access to schools, clinics, churches, cemetaries, police stations and places of public interest.
• In May this year the DPWRT had 12 working machines for grading in Ehlanzeni (out of a total of 31 machines).
Taking matters into their own hands
• Sterkspruit
Earlier this year, lodge owner, Mr Johan Nel lost a contract worth half a million rand due to the condition of this road. The KLCBT initiated a trial project to cover it with a “cementing” chemical that may prevent erosion. Lowvelder paid a visit to the 200m section treated before and after the first summer rain. Several sections of erosion are unfortunately evident.
Once again, Steyn pointed out that no provision for water run-off had been made. The department did not respond to questions regarding this at the time of going to print. The newspaper wanted to know why the road engineers did not give instructions for this, or if they did, why this was being ignored.
• Noordkaap
After an ambulance recently got stuck on this 20km road, residents took action to repair the worst of the affected drifts. Ms Anneke Ritson says they have used nearly R6 000 of their own funds, and people have donated the use of a back actor and truck to perform the work. This is the only access route for the resident to the Bergland Estate, several farms, and game lodges.
According to MEC Ms Dikeledi Mahlangu, her department welcomes private initiatives to repair and maintain roads, but anyone who wishes to do so needs to obtain a special way leave from their local cost centre. It has not provided more information regarding this, only indicating that each local municipality has its own cost centre for road maintenance.
Create and send your own videos documenting the road condition over the extent of the rainy season to us at susanna@lowvelder.co.za
November 2013
https://youtu.be/SR-PJPCGJ6s
See previous article here.
