The end of last year was supposed to be a breather for most motorists who were inconvenienced by road closures and the construction of the enormous traffic circle on Eastwood and Scott Avenues in Randpark Ridge.
The circle was meant to be completed by the beginning of December 2019; however, the end product never saw the light of day. This has caused frustrations to motorists who were anticipating the road to be reopened by the end of last year, bringing about smoother traffic flow.
D Govindjee, who has been affected and has observed the construction process, said, “Work started in August 2019 and a section of Eastwood Avenue was closed. Six months later the traffic circle has still not been completed. One wonders how the City Council vets contractors before awarding the work.
“The time it is taking to construct a traffic circle must be a world record. The commuters using Eastwood Avenue have been inconvenienced since August 2019,” a frustrated Govindjee criticised.
Ward 126 councillor David Brand, who confirmed delays to the project, attributed the snail’s-pace construction process to internal complications.
“The circle has not been completed. It should’ve been finished but it’s not,” he said.
“Everybody is at fault for this delay – from the contractor who had payment issues to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) that changed the design of the circle,” Brand clarified.
He told Northsider that he has been monitoring the project, and speaks to the contractor regularly.
“I hope they will finish soon, but I can’t tell when because I’m tired of being held liable for false information,” he said.
