Considering the destruction caused by storm water to roads such as Hendrik, Totius and Lawrence roads in Poortview, the 2013/2014 budget could be a relief as it includes road repairs.
This is according to Ward 97 councillor Jaco Engelbrecht.
Outlining the budget, he said the budget also allows for the reconditioning of the dirt roads in Zonnehoewe.
“Projects that residents can expect to start soon also include Piet Retief Road, which recently received a much-need resurfacing. I am currently pushing for the resurfacing of Van Staden Road, Die Ou Pad and various others in the ward,” said Engelbrecht.
He informed that the ward’s specific projects include the renewal of waste water bulk infrastructure and waste water infrastructure for Little Falls.
He said the ward is highlighted as a priority area for the installation of storm water drains.
“This is good news. The budget provides for quite a bit of infrastructure improvement for the greater Roodepoort. An interesting project that will be rolled out city wide is the installation of security-controlled manhole covers, that should decrease the likelihood of theft of these items.”
He also mentioned that City Power will be providing new services connections and the repairs will be conducted on the Roodetown substation.
Renovations will also be done on substations to improve electricity supply to Roodepoort.
“There is, unfortunately, still no provision for the construction of a new substation in the area, despite the fact that I was informed in 2013 that construction will start in 2014. Information passed on to me from officials at City Power indicates that this will only occur in 2016. I will take this up with the MMC for Infrastructure to get clarity on the reasons for the delays, as we are in dire need of increased supply to the area for the sake of supply stability and economic development.”
A Ward 97 resident Peter Dinsmore said roads have been a concern.
“The municipality should be concentrating more on resurfacing rather than repairing roads. Also, speed humps are necessary for areas where there is too much traffic flow for the safety of pedestrians.” he added.
Ward 97 councillor Jaco Engelbrecht 082 318 6514.
