Cars are slamming into new potholes in East London’s suburbs. The metro was pelted with 80mm of rain over the weekend, causing supersaturation and heavy runoff.
And, as a result, a pox of new and dangerous potholes, some between 10cm and 20cm deep, have appeared in formerly smooth sections of central roads.
Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Nahoon and Quigney bore the brunt, but areas slightly inland, such as Parkside and Pefferville, also took a beating. Buffalo City Metro (BCM) spokesman Keith Ngesi said: “Damaged roads will be audited and plans submitted.
“They will be accommodated within the available budget.
“Chances are the affected roads are already in the plans of the city. Our infrastructure is aging and it requires billions of rands to fully rehabilitate. The metro can put certain amount of funds on an annual basis to gradually attend to this challenge.”
The Daily Dispatch toured many of the potholed roads reported by residents and witnessed first-hand how the pump-action of wheels over the roads pushes water into existing holes and crevices or leaking patches which then causes seepage and softening of underlying material.
In many instances the tar has been shattered or ripped up revealing cricket-ball-sized stones surrounded by sharp craggy edges. In many instances gravel spews from the holes and lies fanned out across the roads.
Some have been washed clean making these lone rangers harder for drivers to see.
In Bonza Bay Drive there is a crater so large that a warning sign has been positioned in front of it in the middle of the road.
On Sunday night mechanic Stefan Meyer said this sign had been upturned and he slammed into the pothole denting two stylish 17-inch Vossen rims on his 1.7 diesel Corsa bakkie. They cost R1750 each.
While the Dispatch team was inspecting Beaconhurst Drive, opposite Beacon Bay Country Club, a BCM truck pulled up and roads and maintenance supervisor Zabata Garishe put an orange cone in a pothole, saying they would be back later to fill it.
Traffic hitting 60km plus outside Checkers in Old Transkei Road were qadjusting to miss a mini-crater that suddenly appeared there.
New tyre-banging holes also appeared in Gonubie Main road to add to the multiple potholes throughout the suburb.
Quigney was badly hit. There was a string of potholes on the intersection of Currie Street and Tutton Terrace outside the gates of Luqaqambo Civils, former holder of BCM’s multi-million Tender 26 to repair and maintain metro roads.
Gary Allan, owner of A1 Spring Centre opposite, said there had been accidents because of these holes. He showed us a heavily dented rim saying customers were also arriving with broken suspensions.
The most startling damage the team witnessed was a depression in Moore Street which resembled a rocky river crossing. Cars and even big haulers were moving to the wrong side of the road to avoid the 20cm deep brown-water filled ponds.
The Dispatch watched a driver in a silver Aveo slowly negotiate the rapids, but when we called out “Dispatch!” to try and interview him, he hit the accelerator. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
Video: Pothole nightmare causes havoc for cars after rains
And, as a result, a pox of new and dangerous potholes, some between 10cm and 20cm deep, have appeared in formerly smooth sections of central roads.
Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Nahoon and Quigney bore the brunt, but areas slightly inland, such as Parkside and Pefferville, also took a beating. Buffalo City Metro (BCM) spokesman Keith Ngesi said: “Damaged roads will be audited and plans submitted.
“They will be accommodated within the available budget.
“Chances are the affected roads are already in the plans of the city. Our infrastructure is aging and it requires billions of rands to fully rehabilitate. The metro can put certain amount of funds on an annual basis to gradually attend to this challenge.”
The Daily Dispatch toured many of the potholed roads reported by residents and witnessed first-hand how the pump-action of wheels over the roads pushes water into existing holes and crevices or leaking patches which then causes seepage and softening of underlying material.
In many instances the tar has been shattered or ripped up revealing cricket-ball-sized stones surrounded by sharp craggy edges. In many instances gravel spews from the holes and lies fanned out across the roads.
Some have been washed clean making these lone rangers harder for drivers to see.
In Bonza Bay Drive there is a crater so large that a warning sign has been positioned in front of it in the middle of the road.
On Sunday night mechanic Stefan Meyer said this sign had been upturned and he slammed into the pothole denting two stylish 17-inch Vossen rims on his 1.7 diesel Corsa bakkie. They cost R1750 each.
While the Dispatch team was inspecting Beaconhurst Drive, opposite Beacon Bay Country Club, a BCM truck pulled up and roads and maintenance supervisor Zabata Garishe put an orange cone in a pothole, saying they would be back later to fill it.
Traffic hitting 60km plus outside Checkers in Old Transkei Road were qadjusting to miss a mini-crater that suddenly appeared there.
New tyre-banging holes also appeared in Gonubie Main road to add to the multiple potholes throughout the suburb.
Quigney was badly hit. There was a string of potholes on the intersection of Currie Street and Tutton Terrace outside the gates of Luqaqambo Civils, former holder of BCM’s multi-million Tender 26 to repair and maintain metro roads.
Gary Allan, owner of A1 Spring Centre opposite, said there had been accidents because of these holes. He showed us a heavily dented rim saying customers were also arriving with broken suspensions.
The most startling damage the team witnessed was a depression in Moore Street which resembled a rocky river crossing. Cars and even big haulers were moving to the wrong side of the road to avoid the 20cm deep brown-water filled ponds.
The Dispatch watched a driver in a silver Aveo slowly negotiate the rapids, but when we called out “Dispatch!” to try and interview him, he hit the accelerator. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
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