Uncertainty about Peter Road repairs process
MMC for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, gives an update on the Peter Road repair process.
The corner of Peter and Walnut Roads in Ruimsig is likely to remain barricaded closed for an unspecified period.
This comes after the MMC for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, updated the Northsider on the road collapse and water restoration.
On Friday, 6 July, Leah confirmed the repairs to the burst pipes and indicated that the contractor will be held liable for the cost thereof. “The depot manager has confirmed they repaired three pipes which burst as a result of work done by one contractor. The contractor will be held liable,” she said.
Read the initial article here: Motorists cautioned about collapsed road
Vumatel did not dispute negligence on their side; however, they claimed that Johannesburg Water personnel left the water running after the matter was logged.
“We had a service hit at about 10am on the morning of 5 July. This was a minor hit, and the call was logged. Johannesburg Water came out that night to fix it but they did not have the correct spares with them.
They left after turning the water off and said they would be back the next morning at about 9am to fix the problem,” Gary Powell, a Vumatel programme manager explained.
Garry added that when his employees got to the site on the morning after the incident, they found that the water had not been shut off. “The water was running freely and had gone down the trench which we dug and found a weak spot connecting the mug and the bridge, which caused the road to collapse,” he further explained.
Traffic was diverted through a ring road along Walnut and Cyprus Roads by JMPD. This left residents residing on these dirt roads disgruntled, because of the dust and concerns about the integrity of the bridge on Cyprus Road, as vehicles were apparently pushing to cross the one-lane bridge simultaneously, instead of one at a time.
Another complaint was logged after sunset, as JMPD had disappeared with their road markers, leaving unsuspecting motorists facing a huge problem.
Leah defended JMPD by citing that it is unreasonable to expect the officers to work 24/7. “They will control traffic during peak times. It’s a bit unreasonable to expect them to sit there 24/7. It is not a traffic light intersection that is down, so beside diverting traffic, there isn’t much for JMPD to do,” she said.
When providing clarity about the road repairs, Leah concluded by saying, “The issue has been escalated to the Joburg Roads Agency and the legal department, as it involves by-law compliance in terms of the wayleave with which Vumatel was issued”.
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