R25m set aside to fix Jean Avenue sinkhole

Repair work on the Jean Avenue sinkhole in Lyttleton, Centurion, finally started yesterday.

Member of mayoral committee (MMC) for roads and transport, Sheila Lynn Senkubuge, said the City of Tshwane has committed R25 million from the operating budget to start repair work on the Jean Avenue sinkhole “and in so doing bringing us one step closer to restoring optimum business activity in the area”.

Senkubuge said the sinkhole has caused massive disruption to business and traffic flow in Centurion. She said the tender has been awarded to main contractor Gaborone and subcontractor Group 4.

“This is the largest single cost of repair (R25 million), and the tender has been awarded to a contractor with necessary capacity to undertake the work. The site office was established last week where we also had a meeting with the ward councillor to introduce the service provider and also hand over the site,” Senkubuge said.

She said the contractor commenced with the first phase of the project yesterday morning. There are presently 24 sinkholes in Tshwane, of which 23 are in the Centurion, Laudium and the Olievenhoutbosch region. According to the city’s DA-led administration, the former administration did not adequately budget for repairing sinkholes.

“We are working in earnest to correct that starting with the most urgent sinkhole repair on Jean Avenue,” Senkubuge said.

The city estimated that in order to fix all the city’s sinkholes at once, it will cost at least R60 million and the city indicated that it has committed to address the problem over the next financial years. Meanwhile, site securing, geological investigations and periodic monitoring of these sinkholes are being done.

The other two sinkholes prioritised for repair as soon as possible is in Clubview at a cost of about R3 million, which has the potential to affect 900 households; and the sinkhole in 2nd Avenue in Claudius at a cost of about R15 million. Senkubuge said in the coming weeks the city will see how funds can be reprioritised for repairs within the current financial year.

– virginiak@citizen.co.za

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