Motorists from Makhaza are delighted with the resurfacing of Japhta K
Masemola and Ceketa road.
The project started on Tuesday 2 April and is expected to be completed in the middle of next month (June).
The City’s Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the work on Japhta K Masemola Road between Baden Powell Drive and Cekeca Road in Makhaza will include resurfacing the existing road layer and repainting road markings.
According to the City’s statement, the project kicked off a week later than expected.
Explaining the delays, Quintas said the contractor established its site on Tuesday 2 April, which normally takes about 10 days, and the work commenced on Thursday 11 April.
He emphasised that the completion of the project is still in the middle of June.
He said road users are advised to anticipate some traffic congestion between Baden Powell Drive and the Nyanda/Fukutha intersection due to the temporary half-width road closure that will happen as the City works on one lane at a time.
The lane closure will be implemented for approximately three weeks.
“ Road users are advised to use alternative routes while construction work is underway. Bahlali, siphinde sabuya eMakhaza, (Residents, we are back in Makhaza), and this time, we are working on the section between Baden Powell Drive and Cekeca Road. Through this project, we have provided temporary work opportunities to 10 members of the community and we hope that this experience will help them gain additional work experience and future opportunities,” said Quintas.
He said the poor state of the road in this area is a direct result of ongoing illegal building over stormwater infrastructure.
Quintas said the City requests that residents refrain from doing so and cooperate with officials who need to access stormwater drains and channels to construct diversions in the future.
He said blocked and built-over stormwater infrastructure causes water to pool on the road surface and deteriorate the road quality over time.
Quintas stated that fixing roads subjected to standing water as a result of illegal blockages is made difficult due to meaningful road repairs only being made possible when the road surface is dry for prolonged periods.
“We ask that road users exercise caution while these roadworks are underway. Please drive slower, pay attention to road signs, be vigilant in and around the work site, look out for uneven road surfaces and be mindful of construction workers. Once this resurfacing is done we will all benefit from safer and smoother road conditions in Makhaza,” said Quintas.
Siya, a taxi driver, said he could not wait to see the completed road. He said there will be no more traffic on the road.
“There was a huge pothole and a drain burst in the middle of the road (Japhta K Masemola), which caused a traffic jam because the motorists had to use one lane. We had to wait for each other and that was time-consuming,” said Siya, adding that it’s been years since the sewage was stuck there on the road.
He blamed shoddy work and protesters who burn tyres on the road when protesting, citing that damages the road.
Emsindweni informal settlement resident Unathi Sidlayi said the road (Japhta Masemola) has been damaged for a long time. She accused the contractor that was doing the road of doing shoddy work.
“It was bad. There were a lot of potholes. Motorists were hijacked here because cars had to slow down when they were passing here,” said Sidlayi.
However, she urged the motorists to stop speeding when they are driving.