Coleraine Drive collapses

“It is the bridge that has collapsed,” said Sandton Chronicle reporter Aimee McGill who was on the scene. “One whole lane has gone and the road is impassable.”

The barricade that used to line the road can now be seen at the bottom of a 10m deep pit. The fence and park that was also next to the road has also disappeared when the surfaced collapsed. According to those on the scene the pit is about 10m across and 10m deep. Cable sleeves can also be seen in the pit, but these appear to still be in tact. The river can be seen to be flowing freely between stacks of tar and concrete.

To add to motorists woes there is also a large pothole in the remaining section of road. “This is made more hazardous because motorists are trying to avoid the collapsed section and they are driving into the pothole,” McGill said.

This section of Coleraine Drive has been a cause of concern for motorists for over a year. The problem was first reported in October 2012 and the sinkhole opened up in February.

Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp said he had escalated the residents’ complaints to the City of Johannesburg and nothing had been done. “The Johannesburg Roads Agency has been informed and all they did after saying they investigated the matter was to put up some tape along the side,” said Earp.

“This is not good enough. The site is an accident waiting to happen.” Sandton Chronicle was made aware of the hazardous road when a reader posted on our Facebook page stating that the road surface had given way and asking us to warn people.

You can read that story here and watch our video with Councillor Earp here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD8Xpb2iQ0M

We will keep you updated on this story