Road upgrades cause tension in Fourways

Fuming motorists are registering their frustrations through Fourways Review about the quality of the upgrades, which they describe as poor.

Complaints raised range from a lack of road signage, wrong traffic markings, malfunctioning traffic lights and extraordinarily large traffic circles.

The most bizarre complaint e-mailed to Fourways Review is about the contour of an island along Witkoppen Road which protrudes into the lane.

“Great upgrade to Witkoppen but this geometry is rather dangerous and does not follow the contour of the road which protrudes into the right lane of incoming traffic. Poor reflection of work to say the least,” fumed Renato Acquisto, a local resident.

Fourways Review spotted construction workers fixing the contour lines on 3 July.

Stuart Spencer of Craigavon has issues with the size of the traffic circle being built on Campbell Road. Spencer feels that the traffic circle is too huge for motorists’ comfort. “The circle is far too large in diameter for the size of the road and, therefore, impossible for trucks to make their turning circle. The Johannesburg Roads Agency needs to ensure that the circle is, in fact, the correct diameter,” said Spencer.

Spencer claimed that the circle was being constructed by a housing development team without the supervision of the roads agency. He added that motorists were damaging their cars by accidentally driving into the circle at night because there were no signs warning them about construction work. Joburg Roads Agency’s Bertha Peters-Scheepers said they will investigate the issue.

Meanwhile, sparks are flying in Paulshof at the Witkoppen and Umhlanga roads intersection where residents are threatening to stage a public demonstration in protest of the handing over of a construction site. Ward 93 councillor Annette Deppe is maintaining her demands to the constructors before she will sign off on the site. She requires that the constructors clean up the site, rectify wrong road markings and provide more road signage.

“Residents will demonstrate if they go ahead and cut the ribbon on 14 July without correcting what we are complaining about,” said Deppe.

Two constructors who worked on the site are continuing with the blame game. Terry Mukoma, community liaison officer of GMH Tswelelo Consulting Engineers, said their contract ended and they were not coming back to clean the site. “… All workers are no longer onsite, myself included. Our contract has ended,” said Mukoma in a written communication to Clive Veritas, a resident who is also demanding for the proper completion of construction work.

Rida Jaffer of GMH Tswelelo Consulting Engineers said they were only a consulting company supervising another contractor, Phagamas Civils.

Deppe met with officials from the office of the MEC for Road and Transport on 1 July. A decision was made to postpone the ribbon cutting until all demands were met.

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