Johannesburg Road Agency’s (JRA) Region B depot is aware of the deep, frustrating potholes posing a danger to motorists along busy Oxford Street in Ferndale. The depot confirmed that repairs were scheduled to begin on April 28. The potholes, located in the middle of the road, force cars to swerve to avoid them, risking damage and accidents.

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Despite the scheduled repairs, the potholes remain unaddressed and continue to be a concern. JRA’s acting head of regional operations, Mpho Maruping, explained that the entity prioritises repairs on high-traffic roads based on safety risk, severity of damage, traffic volume, strategic importance of the route, and service level obligations.

“The area will be demarcated and barricaded to ensure the safety of the public,” he said. Maruping added that resurfacing projects are identified through a visual conditions assessment and guided by the visual conditions index, which categorises road segments from very poor to very good. Roads in very poor condition are prioritised for resurfacing. He noted that the rollout of resurfacing programmes depends on budget availability.

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Oxford Street will be submitted for assessment to determine its condition. In the meantime, pothole repairs and related maintenance will be carried out. Ward 104 councillor Emi Koekemoer said the entity had attempted temporary fixes. “They basically fill all the holes with tar chips, but those washed out within two days. And I have not heard a word from them since, even though I pointed out that the tar chips had already washed out.”

Koekemoer added that about two weeks ago, after she posted a video and tagged the city manager, she was told asphalt work would begin that same day.

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