Drysdale Road in Sundowner remains untouched and on the verge of collapse, five months after it was hit by severe floods that affected some suburbs in Johannesburg North.

The floods pushed over a fence on the side of the road, as well as opening a gaping hole, which poses a danger to road users. It is a serious safety hazard, particularly because of the blind corner where the damage is located, and months later, nothing has been done by Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) to fix the damage.

Read more: Drysdale Road in Sundowner is slowly collapsing

Ward 134 councillor Devon Steenkamp has been following up and escalating the matter to JRA. He explained that, at night, or in poor visibility, this section becomes extremely dangerous. “The storms hit this area, and because of a lack of maintenance, it eroded the road. The fencing is gone, but what’s most concerning, is that when the next season of rain comes, this road is not going to withstand the force of the water.”

He added that Kenny Kunene, former Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Transport, said, in a written response to council, that all the road needed was just resurfacing. “That was laughable. This situation on Drysdale demands more than a patch-up. The city needs to urgently assess the structural integrity of the road and invest in proper storm water management systems. Quick responses and long-term planning needs to go hand in hand if we are to avoid further collapse.”

Early in April, Khayalethu Gqibitole, JRA’s head of department for planning, explained that the flash flooding eroded the earthworks around the bridge and under the roadway, which resulted in the roadway collapsing. “The collapsed part of the roadway is located at a sharp bend of the road. The continuous traffic load exerted on the eroded section of the road increased instability on the ground below the roadway, which further extended the erosion. With continuous traffic load, which includes heavy vehicles, the underground may continue to be unstable and pose a risk of further collapse.”

He added that, as a result, they were in the process of appointing a service provider on an emergency basis to perform a detailed bridge assessment with recommendations for rehabilitation, however, four months later, there has been no visible action from the entity to repair the damaged road.
JRA was sent questions about their plans for the road, but did not respond by the time of print. However, their reply will be published once made available.

Sean Kreusch, Shadow MMC for Transport, explained that it’s not surprising, as there are 906 bridges within the city stock, and only six percent of that stock is actually in good condition. “If I look at the situation as it stands right now, this entire road will have to be reconstituted, purely because of negligence and a lack of maintenance and repair. So now, because of that, the city is compelled to pay more than it should have.”

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