JRA acknowledges the Ferndale on Republic mess, but procedures slow the process of fixing it
The pipe has been repaired and JRA is making plans to fix the storm water pipes before the backfill can be done.
Khaya Gqibitole, Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) head of regional operations, explained that a delegation from the JRA and Johannesburg Water met on September 06, to discuss resolutions regarding the reinstatement of the damaged storm water pipe and the damaged road section at the entrance of Ferndale on Republic.
Read more: JRA responds to a six-year-old reinstatement
“A technical assessment was conducted on September 10. It comes in two folds, a visual condition assessment of the damaged road, together with a desktop study of as-built records of the road, these will inform the scope of work as well as cost projections thereof. The JRA will then issue a jobbing quotation to Joburg Water and commencement of repair work will only be known once they have accepted the jobbing quotation and has issued the JRA with a purchase order.”
He also confirmed that a single lane at the intersection was open to allow for traffic flow and the projected timelines will be communicated once the process has been concluded.
Also read: JRA warns motorists against trying to drive in flooded areas
The damaged storm water pipes, due to other factors, are repaired in line with the process flow in the JRA’s maintenance Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
“Storm water pipes that are damaged by third parties, like Joburg Water, are repaired through JRA’s jobbing process, this involves inspecting and quantifying the extent of the damage, followed by creation of a quotation that will be given to the third party. Once the third party has accepted the quotation, planning for allocation of resources and execution of works resumes.”
This follows after Johannesburg Water completed the repairs of the water leak on Republic Road outside the Ferndale on Republic shopping centre. However, they cannot backfill the site yet, because of the damaged storm water pipe.
The burst happened around July 24. It took about 3 to 4 weeks for Johannesburg Water to fix the burst. The lane that turns into the shopping centre was severely affected by the excavation and led to traffic congestion and delays.
Businesses at the shopping centre and the Mercure Hotel have been affected negatively since the sand was dumped, blocking their entrances.
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