A contractor’s site with road resurfacing material on the corner of Kessel and Smith streets in Fairland, became the centre of attention in the suburb recently.
Residents started to ask questions about the contractor who established the site, brought all the material and did not start with the project of resurfacing the streets.
Ward 98 Councillor Laurette van Zijl said residents were worried about the project and wanted to know when it was due to begin.
“I have requested road resurfacing in my ward since 2002 as many of the streets in my ward are in a very bad state and breaking up. Although the proposed programme did not include all the roads that need resurfacing, I was very pleased that a start had been made,” explained Councillor Van Zijl.
She further explained that she was extremely disappointed at the sudden halt of the programme.
“I have been given different reasons. Some blame the contractor and others blame Joburg Roads Agency. The bottom line is that a contract was started without the necessary checks and balances in place to ensure that it will be completed,” she concluded.
JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers said the project was part of the JRA’s annual road resurfacing programme.
She explained that the stock piles on site were required in advance to allow them to test the raw aggregates and finalise the designs based on the test results of the stock material.
“Unfortunately, a number of factors, including materials testing, which took longer than anticipated, delayed the project kick-off. The recent rains have not made conditions conducive to resurfacing. However, we anticipate that resurfacing will have started at month end at the latest,” she further explained.
According to Peters-Scheepers, the resurfacing project entailed basic treatment, mainly crack sealing and priming the surface, followed by overlaying with tar to deal with road deterioration and potholes.
“JRA is looking forward to providing Fairland residents with these newly resurfaced roads in the near future,” she concluded.
Details: Joburg Roads Agency, 0860 562 874 or hotline@jra.org.za; Ward 98 Councillor Laurette van Zijl, 082 330 0593.
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