City of Tshwane announces temporary road closure due to a sinkhole

The City of Tshwane has announced the temporary closure of Kruger Avenue in Lyttleton Manor, Centurion due to a sinkhole that emerged on the road.

The road will be closed from Monday, 04 April 2022, at 09h00 until further notice.

The city said it is compelled to immediately close Kruger Avenue for safety purposes and to allow for physical assessment and geological investigation in order to determine the necessary method of repair.

“The sinkhole, which was observed on 10 March 2022 as a physical hole on the roadway with surrounding sagging and cracks in the road surface, is visible in the southbound lane of the roadway and extends below the surface to the northbound lane and possibly further beyond.”

It said while the surface extent of the sinkhole on the roadway may be small, the sinkhole expands at approximately 2 meters below the surface into the northbound lane and to the existing sinkhole located on the verge of the southbound lane.

“It further extends in both directions across the road and the extent of sinkhole affected area is approximately 25 meters by 10 meters and 6 meters in depth. Therefore, both lanes of Kruger Avenue, the sidewalk areas, and portions of properties between 1009 and 1011 are affected by the sinkhole. The sinkhole is unstable and can further collapse inwards at any time on the roadway,” the city said in a statement.

The city further stated that the road closure will affect access to businesses and facilities in the immediate vicinity since there is no viable detour route around the sinkhole area.

“Businesses on either side of the closure point and persons requiring local access to sites with street number 1009 and less, need to approach from River Roadside. Meanwhile, those from addresses 1011 up to 1026 Kruger Avenue and on Theron Street, will have to access from the Van Ryneveld Avenue side.”

“The municipal Garden refuse site can be accessed from Van Ryneveld Avenue. Provision will be made for pedestrians on the western side of the road,” the city said.

The city has pleaded for cooperation from residents, businesses and motorists around the sinkhole area and has apologised for the inconvenience.

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