The reconstructuring of Elias Motsoaledi Road between Mphuthi and Zulu roads in Jabavu has planted a sense of hope in Sammy Goodenough’s heart, the CLO of the JRA projects in Jabavu.
Elias Motsoaledi Street which used to be Roodeport road links with Bolani road and Baragwanath road which used to be Potchefstroom road and falls under Region D according to Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA).
The managing director of the JRA, Skhumbuzo Macozoma announced during a media briefing that “Over the next three financial years the JRA is planning to spend more than R1.6 billion to reconstruct, rehabilitate and resurface their road network.”
This announcement has come after reconstructions have already begun on the other roads in Soweto, which has impressed some car owners who have expressed some of their concerns about roads being resurfaced and rehabilitated when they need recon structuring.
Even pedestrians are happy about this progress which does not only mean that they will have decent roads but they will get to fix their own roads themselves in turn getting employment. According to the CLO of the project, “the project has hired at least 10 general workers from the community of Jabavu and is looking to add 6 more by June 2.”
The CLO continued to say, “The Reconstruction of roads is preferred by the people because rehabilitating them only lasts for a short while and even though resurfacing strengthened the roads structural capacity and enhanced their skid it deteriorates in time, and people are concerned that this deterioration happens sooner than it should , while reconstructing them will avoid potholes, cracks and depression over time because it entails removal of the entire structure and rebuilding the base, sub-base and surface to improve storm water drainage and overall structural integrity.”
Sammy Goodenough said, “This strategy of reconstructing damaged roads instead of just resurfacing and rehabilitating them should get rid of the potholes and cracks in our roads and hopefully will lessen the number of road accidents by a certain percentage.” According to the CLO, “The reconstructing of Elias Motsoaledi should be finished by the end of June and commuters can use Phera street that will join them to Mlangeni street and links to Mphuthi street as an alternative route while Elias Motsoaledi is being reconstructed.”
