Gigantic potholes near Princess give motorists more to worry about

Roads allow us to discover local hidden gems within a few kilometre radius and explore exciting new destinations thousands of kilometres away.

The impact of poor road conditions on communities can be disastrous as we all know that roads are important as they connect us to our family, friends, community, work, and play.

Some motorists who regularly use the waterlogged Albertina Sisulu Road that passes through the Princess informal settlement have expressed deep worry about the worsening condition of the road.

This, they said, was taking a heavy toll on the community, and putting vehicles and the lives of motorists at risk.

The Record approached Ward 85 councillor Zonè Hughes with some questions about the state of Albertina Sisulu Road near the Princess informal settlement and asked her to reflect on the way forward.

Hughes told the Record that she and Ward 71 councillor Rene Benjamin had reported the damaged road numerous times and that both their urban inspectors had escalated the matter to the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) for their attention.

According to Hughes, the issue had also been escalated in the previous political term. The problem however is that JRA has trouble fixing the road due to the water running into it constantly because the storm water drain and the sewerage systems are always blocked.

• What steps have you taken? Is there any hope?

The damage has been reported and escalated to JRA, however the only hope to get the road fixed permanently is by ensuring that the storm water and sewerage systems are unblocked, and that the road can be dried out properly for long enough for it to be fixed

• Motorists are concerned. What’s your advice to them?

At the moment the ETR as to when the road will be attended to is not clear; therefore, I would advise motorist to look at taking alternative routes where possible to avoid damage to their cars, and injury to themselves.

Alternative routes motorists can look at are Ontdekkers Road, Corlett Avenue and Progress Road.

• Is there is a plan for the road to be fixed? Can you share it?

The process is that the damage has to be logged – which had been done on numerous occasions – after which it is sent to the entity, which had also been done.

There have been attempts by the entity to have it fixed; however, the community is not helpful in this regard as the water running into the road is due to the community blocking the sewerage and storm water systems.

The plan is to get community participation and ensure that the road is dry for a long enough time to get it fixed.

With regards to the detailed plan you will have to ask a representative from JRA for more information.

The Record attempted to contact JRA and questions were sent to the entity, but at the time of publishing this article there had been no response.

This is a developing story, and an update will be available as soon as a response from JRA is received.