Underground water has been labelled as the main obstacle preventing the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) from repairing Ibsen Street.
This road, which joins Albertina Sisulu Road from Georginia, has been in a shabby condition for a number of months now, according to concerned residents.
An affected resident and motorist, Chad Davies, who also happens to be the Neighbourhood Watch volunteer, initially reported that the road was recently damaged by trucks that were constantly using the road during repairs at the railway station.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2017/08/15/water-crisis-bad-news-for-this-suburb/
However, Mosa Makhalima, the spokesperson for the JRA, told the Record that the situation was actually worse than it seemed. “The JRA has tried to repair the road, but has discovered that the problem is underground water. The road had to be filled with crushed stone as an interim measure,” he said.
When asked about a permanent solution, Mosa said the underground water must be drained first before the road is permanently repaired – a process that has not happened.
Since the road was initially damaged by Transnet’s heavy load vehicles and someone has to account for it, Mosa explained the process. “Normally in situations like these, there is an agreement between JRA and the other company, in this case Transnet.
The agreement may entail that JRA repairs the road on their behalf since they do not have the expertise,” Mosa concluded.
