Braid said, “The Johannesburg Roads Agency cannot blame the rainy weather for this one as the manhole cover was broken and reported long before any of the wet weather conditions occurred. The concrete manhole cover over the storm water drainage system has been missing for about six weeks. It is only a matter of time before there is some fatal accident.”
She said 12th Avenue was a busy road. “The missing manhole cover means that traffic in the right lane turning into Rietfontein holds up the traffic coming from behind in Rivonia Road, as the traffic continuing straight towards Bryanston cannot move past on the left,” explained Braid.
Bertha Peters-Scheepers, spokesperson for the roads agency said, “A team has confirmed that following the first complaint received, the manhole was covered with a temporary polymer lid. These lids are an interim measure whilst an alternative manhole product is being procured.”
She added that theft and vandalism of road infrastructure, including manhole covers, was costing the City of Johannesburg millions and it was negatively impacting the service delivery process. “The roads agency will launch a community-based anti-vandalism project to get residents involved in curbing this deliberate sabotage of the city’s infrastructure,” said Peters-Scheepers.
Braid said several attempts have been made by the roads agency to replace the cover. On 13 March Braid said the roads agency attempted to repair the cover again. “Red cones were left in front of the manhole so that the cement could set,” explained Braid. “The impact of the traffic has caused the grouting to crack and this has shifted the cover because it is too small for the hole.”
Peters-Scheepers said, “The manhole is situated on a road bend that takes a high volume of vehicular traffic and in addition to the constant inclement weather experienced, contributed to the problem. The team will be out to secure the manhole cover with concrete, and we will monitor it.”
Are you experiencing a similar service delivery problem in your area? Tweet us your pic of missing storm water drain covers @Sandton_News #manhole
