The work to fix the main road through Welverdiend is proceeding fast. By Friday, May 8, the first section from the railway crossing to 10th Avenue has already been levelled, treated, and compacted to prepare it for tarring.

On this day, the contractors fixing the road started to reroute motorists away from the section of 10th Avenue leading past the businesses.

According to the site manager, Rex Majawa, they have to close sections of the road while it is being prepared for tarring to make sure that the gravel underneath cures according to quality specifications. Except for being compacted in layers, the gravel is also treated with chemicals to make sure that it can withstand the heavy traffic that the road has to carry.

The curing process takes about four days, after which the road can be covered with asphalt, which is the process commonly known as tarring.

While this is being done, vehicles travelling through the town are rerouted onto side streets. Some of the work also affects residents, but it is only temporary and essential to make sure that the road is fixed in the long term.

Majawa says the process to rebuild a 7km section of the road through Welverdiend to the Gauteng border is expected to be completed by the end of July this year.