Repeated water leaks leave First Avenue pavement in disrepair

What was meant to be the repair site of two water leaks has turned the pavement of First Avenue into a scene resembling World War I.

Located near the corner of Tenth Street and First Avenue, a large trench has been dug along the pavement to allow for repair work on water leaks near the four-way stop intersection.

According to Ward 19 Ald Bill Rundle, a water leak caused by a burst pipe was reported to the City of Ekurhuleni.

“The repair crew arrived and found that a tree was growing over the location of the leak and over the pipeline,” said Rundle.

ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni puts R10m price tag on Bedfordview pipeline project

He said two trees were removed from the site, with the initial tree being the wrong tree removed.

“Because the tree was growing over the pipeline, no work could be done, and a digger needed to be used to remove the tree.”

Rundle said no sooner had the first leak been repaired than a second leak started, when the pipe burst later that day.

“The repair team stopped the first leak in the morning and the second leak started in the afternoon.”

During the repairs, several lengths of asbestos pipes were replaced with plastic PVC pipes.

Rundle said that, because of the lack of required parts and because the repairs occurred near a weekend, this also delayed the process.

ALSO READ: Resident raises alarm over water wastage near First Avenue

He said, “The community in the area was without water; people were going frantic, and water tanks needed to be brought in.”
Soon after repairing the leaks along the First Avenue pavement, Rundle said a leak sprung in the intersection of Tenth Street and First Avenue.

Although the leak in the intersection was repaired like the pavement, the road needs to also be rehabilitated.

“In the meantime, while the community waits for the rehabilitation, the repairs have started leaking again.”

Rundle said he has escalated the new leaks to the Water Department, requesting staff to visit the site and assess the situation.
He said the Water Department noted his escalation and request.

“This is a high mobility network road; it not only links Linksfield Road to Greenstone and Modderfontein Road but has also created a traffic disruption for motorists,” said Rundle.

“Not only is the leak in the intersection unsafe, forcing motorists to swerve, but they shouldn’t drive on it because cars will just damage the repairs further.”

ALSO READ: Broken traffic lights cause chaos at Edenvale intersection

Additionally, Rundle pointed out that there are minimal warning signs or tapes about either repair site.

When the publication visited the intersection, only one piece of chevron tape could be seen near the First Avenue pavement repair sites.

Rundle highlighted that because of the excavations on the First Avenue pavement, pedestrians are unable to walk along it, creating a danger for them.

A request for comment was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni asking what caused the leak, if there were delays in acquiring parts, when the sites would be rehabilitated, and what benefit plastic water pipes have over asbestos pipes.

Comment was requested by October 9 at 15:30; at the time of going to print, no comment had been received.