Leveling about refurbished road

[caption id="attachment_36131" align="alignright" width="405"] TARRED AND FEATHERED: Readers have been outspoken about the roadworks in the Summerstrand-Humewood area[/caption]

THE decision to resurface the stretch of Beach Road and Marine Drive between South End Museum and the beacon has raised a number of concerns recently in the media.

As the councillor responsible for the area, I would like to report on my investigation into the matter.

I have interacted extensively with the official responsible for the project and am able to confirm the following.

Firstly, the decision taken to refurbish this stretch of road was informed by the fact that in numerous places, the road surface, although intact and apparently in good condition, had already degraded substantially and was in need of a new topping.

Motorists who use this road on a daily basis will recall the big increase in potholes frequently experienced last year, particularly after heavy rains.

This was as a direct result of water penetrating the road surface and which creates considerable damage when vehicles travel on the road compressing the water below the surface.

A perfect example of long term damage caused due to inadequate maintenance is the William Moffett Expressway which, as a result of insufficient maintenance, spending will ultimately need to be rebuilt at tremendous cost to the city fiscus.

The concerns raised regarding reported unevenness and the depth of many manholes/service access points has been brought to the attention of the department and are in the process of being properly rehabilitated so that they are level with the newly tarred road surface.

In addition, the metro has committed to checking uneven areas with a rolling straight edge brought in from Johannesburg to establish whether acceptable tolerances have been exceeded. Any areas found to be outside of the prescribed specification will be brought to the attention of the contractor to rectify.

I would like to thank the members of the public who raised their concerns as well as to the officials in the department for their proactive stance in dealing with this thorny issue.

Dean Biddulph, DA Councillor, Ward 2