Nearly three years on, a spot on Argyle Avenue in Craighall Park is still problematic. It is one of the many potholes that the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has to fix. Motorists who use the road have noticed how the section of Argyle and Alexandra avenues always goes back to being damaged after repairs and more so when it rains. In an article titled Not a hole lot of danger? [Week ending 20 July 2018] the Gazette reported that Johannesburg Water had fixed a burst pipe which had led to a wastage of three weeks worth of water but thereafter a dangerous sinkhole had developed. Since then the road has been on and off with repairs and damages interchanging.
Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams on 17 October shared that the long-awaited 200-metre pipe replacement at Argyle and Alexandra avenues would begin (on that day) and that’s why the area had not been reinstated. He added, “Pipe laying will be done by Joburg Water teams over two weekends. This should not affect supply, which will be affected when the tie-in is done later after completion of laying.”
The councillor, however, said the JRA couldn’t say much at the moment. “First, Johannesburg Water must finish the trenching, then laying the pipes, then connecting the new pipes to the system, then backfilling.
“After Joburg Waters’ backfilling has settled, JRA will be asked to reinstate the surface. So it’s still quite a while to go. Remember too that JRA has huge backlogs which have been exacerbated by them being told to work at one-third capacity during earlier lockdown levels, when they focused almost exclusively on emergencies.”
JRA and Johannesburg Water had not yet responded to the Gazette’s enquiries at the time of going to print.
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Motorists warned of a potentially dangerous sinkhole on Argyle Avenue
UPDATE: Argyle Avenue’s water-wasting pipe finally replaced
