Company maintains potholed provincial road on own account
However, the potholes make it difficult for these road users to go about their daily business.
It has been an ongoing battle since last year, concerning the gaping potholes on the Stilwater Road (P289).
In June, the Vryheid Herald reported about the complaints from residents in that area.
The road is an artificial link between Vryheid and eDumbe and is mainly used by farmers, who are involved in plantations, the transportation of goods in the area, and livestock farming activities.
However, the potholes make it difficult for these road users to go about their daily business.
The Department of Transport (DoT) indicated at that time that an internal team would start on July 1, 2021 with patching the potholes that were identified during the inspection.
Sources said it was clear the base of the road is badly damaged, which would make it difficult for an internal team to patch the potholes.
However, the DoT indicated that the awarded contractor would start on site by the beginning of November 2021 with the pothole patching.
The estimated cost for the maintenance of the P289 was R2-million.
Journalists from the Vryheid Herald recently drove on that road and found an employee from a local transport company filling in the potholes with sand.
He said that whenever he doesn’t have work in the workshop, he closes the potholes using a shovel and sand which the company provides him with.
He further stated that the company would drop off the sand on the side of the road and he would use a wheelbarrow to transport this sand to fill the potholes along the P289.
The employee also said that since the DoT is not maintaining the road, the company had to do it because they use the road daily.
The Vryheid Herald sent an inquiry to the Department of Transport requesting an update on the progress of the Stilwater Road repairs.
No response has been received by the time of going to print.
The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.
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