Cave-ins of roads have some asking “where’s next?”
The latest casualty, in the battle of alleged ageing infrastructure, is the intersection of Agate Avenue and Amethyst Drive in Sunnyridge.
At the weekend, a portion of the road sank into oblivion.
Residents reported the wound in the tarmac was deep enough to partially swallow a vehicle, and feared further collapsing of the intersection.
It is believed digging on the verge resulted in erosion under the intersection.
Municipal workers, once alerted to the problem, scurried to fill in the hole with sand, but failed to resurface the road or place chevron tape to warn unsuspecting motorists of the danger.
In addition, questions posed to the municipality remain unanswered.
Last year, an experienced civil engineer said many of Newcastle’s roads were long past their designed life, and needed urgent resurfacing and resealing.
In his words, the municipality simply couldn’t cope with the demand.
Stating the regular degradation of roads would snowball at a certain point, he said it looked as if the municipality was ‘unable to get ahead of the game’. “There must be sufficient budgeting for maintenance of roads, not only on the capital budget.”
According to the engineer, roads should be resealed every eight years at least.
However, he noted there was pressure on the Municipality to construct more roads in Newcastle East, the result being over stretching of resources. This is said to be a nation-wide problem. “There is neglect by the municipality and the province – roads are not given the same priority as water and sewerage, because it is not a vital service.”
After many months in which to formulate an adequate response, the municipality has yet to confirm or deny the engineer’s statement.
