Sandton ridden with potholes
SANDTON – Great concerns raised over the state of Sandton's roads infrastructure as more motorists fall victim to the growing number of potholes.
Regardless of the dozens of the motorists that commute in and around Sandton each day, the integrity of the roads infrastructure remains of great concern. Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp has cautioned motorists travelling in the area to remain vigilant and aware at all times.
JRA has continued to encourage motorist to report potholes through email, the Fix and Find app as well as through Twitter but the response times have become concerning. Through Twitter alone, the potholes on Sandton Drive (between Marie Avenue and Alice Lane) have been reported on 14 occasions between December 2019 and January 2020 thus far.
Many motorists have fallen victim to theses potholes. In a more recent occurrence, Thabile Makwela was forced to fork out an estimated R3 000 in repairs. “My front left wheel tyre and rim were damaged. There may be a possibility of replacing my wheel bearings. Luckily two JMPD officers came to my aid,” she said.
“The pothole is basically a crater at this point, according to the officers and a friend that lives in the area, that pothole on Sandton Drive has been there for weeks,” said Makwela.
But what has caused such a backlog for JRA? Johannesburg experiences most of its rainfall in summer thus affecting the roads at a rapid pace. “Our road surfaces have deteriorated rapidly since November/ December 2019 and because most of our roads are desperately in need of resurfacing, whenever it rains we end up with water seeping under the tarmac and breaking up the surface,” Earp said.
According to Earp, the City’s Asphalt plant was also closed during the December holidays making no tar available. “They also allow most of their staff to take leave. What they should be doing is to stagger staff leave so that some staff have Christmas and others have New Year. It is impossible to repair potholes in a City region with only a standby team that deals with emergencies,” he said.
Major areas of major concern:
- Rivonia Road (in the left lane travelling south between Marion Road and Grayston Drive)
- Rivonia Road (next to the Discovery building
- Sandton Drive (between Alice Lane and Grayston Drive)
- Slipway entering Grayston Drive from Sandton Drive
- Grayston Drive (between Benmore and Rivonia roads)
- Outspan Road (between Benmore and Virginia roads)
- Brooke Avenue (between Bryanston Drive and Farm Street).
“Cars travelling on these streets have to swerve into the oncoming traffic lane in order to avoid the potholes,” he said.
JRA was unavailable for comment at the time of going to print but you can report issues to the agency in the following ways:
- Call 0860 562 874
- Email hotline@jra.org.za
- Find and Fix mobile app (with pictures attached)
- Log an issue online at https://www.findandfix, or https://www.jra.org.za
Related articles
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/127108/water-leak-fixed-but-potholes-remainorno-solution-to-potholes-after-water-leak/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/85944/its-raining-potholes/
