Road damage questions dodged by municipality
When repeated calls to the municipality went unanswered, a concerned and unknown resident filled the potholed intersection with mounds of grass and earth.
Newcastle Municipality is silent regarding its road infrastructure.
Despite repeated attempts to seek answers from officials, the municipality is yet to provide response as to the concerns from motorists, around the condition of many streets.
Residents have instead answered the questions themselves.
Questions posed by the Newcastle Advertiser sought reasons as to why road damage is reported but not yet repaired, and how the municipality plans to address or at least mitigate these problems.
This is pertinent given the onset of a new financial year.
The reason for this specific set of questions by the media, stems from a number of recent complaints from residents, particularly those in Paradise. The first relates to Lurida Place, off Montague Street.
Residents there say the road surface was damaged after a pipe burst months earlier, with a portion of the street cordoned off by yellow safety barricades.
To date, Lurida Place remains ‘under repair’.
Similar concerns were raised by residents a short distance away, following the collapse of part of the intersection of Montague Street and Lacerta Place.
For months, the intersection has been barely navigable.
When repeated calls to the municipality went unanswered, a concerned and unknown resident filled the potholed intersection with mounds of grass and earth.
However, this remains a temporary solution. Other areas which have become riddled with potholes and rutting include Kirkland Street, notably between the Ayliff and Bridger Street intersections, and the intersection of Scott and Allen Streets in the CBD.
It remains to be seen how these issues will be resolved.
Is there a street in Newcastle you feel is the worst to drive on, in terms of road surface damage like potholing, rutting or collapsing? Let us know on Facebook or email newed2@caxton.co.za
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