The water replacement project in the Weltevreden Park area is close to it’s end but one or two issues still remain as was discussed in a public meeting held on 3 December between residents and Ward 126 Councillor Mike Tonkin.
“In order to complete the project, the contractors need to reinstate the driveways to their previous condition and that’s where the problems started and why the public meeting was organised in such a short time,” said Tonkin.
Project manager Jan von der Heyde explained that the meeting was arranged to find out if residents are unhappy about their driveways and if they have any other outstanding issues. He said, “The trick comes in with reinstating the driveways to their previous state and they have to look exactly like they did before we dug them up to replace the ageing pipes.”
Von der Heyde said that the contractors had to come up with ingenious ideas to replicate the bricks used to lay the driveways.
He added that the rainy season caused a couple of issues with the driveways. “Some residents complained that parts of their driveways were washed away by floods after the rain storms.
“Before the project can be completed we need to fix all of these issues and we still need to put palisade fences around some of the pressure relieving valves,” said von der Heyde.
Tonkin concluded, “I’m glad that we reached an agreement at the end of the meeting and the contractors and Johannesburg Water will have to do their part now to ensure that the project is completed before the end of the year.”