Pothole repairs underway in River Club following December asphalt plant closure
Following concerns raised by Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford over crumbling River Club roads, despite the MMC for transport’s assurance that enough asphalt would be available to do repairs in December, the city blames asphalt plant maintenance for delays, with Johannesburg Roads Agency now addressing the backlog.
City of Johannesburg MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene has attributed delays in pothole repairs in River Club to a scheduled annual maintenance programme at the city’s asphalt plant, assuring residents that work is now underway.
This follows concerns raised by Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackelford over numerous potholes on Farm Street, Belgravia Road, and East Hertford Road, which she said have worsened since December despite Kunene’s assurance that there would be enough asphalt to carry out repairs during the holidays.
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Kunene said the asphalt production was closed in December, to carry out planned annual preventative and statutory maintenance on critical mechanical, electrical, and production components that cannot be safely serviced while the plant is operating.
“This shutdown is essential to prevent unplanned breakdowns, improve plant reliability and product quality, extend the lifespan of key assets, and ensure that the plant is fully operational and able to sustain high-volume asphalt production required for priority road programmes.”
He added that, under normal circumstances, the annual maintenance programme is undertaken in December, when construction demand is lower. However, due to extended operational demands in late December to support service delivery and year-end programmes, the maintenance was deferred.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to residents and road users for the delays and inconvenience caused by the temporary reduction in asphalt production. While this maintenance is unavoidable and critical for the long-term reliability of our infrastructure. We acknowledge the frustration it caused.
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“I want to assure the public that these measures are necessary to prevent far more severe disruptions in the future, and I guarantee that service delivery will continue, and improve, as soon as the maintenance programme is concluded.”
To mitigate the impact during the asphalt closure in December, Kunene said regional operations teams implemented contingency measures, including the use of approved cold-mix for emergency and temporary pothole repairs. “Class 1 to 3 and high-risk routes were prioritised, including redeploying in-house teams to critical hotspots, and scheduling all temporary repairs for permanent hot-mix reinstatement once the plant resumed operations on January 16.”
Kunene confirmed that repairs in River Club have now commenced. “The Johannesburg Roads Agency team has attended to potholes from Farm Street to Belgrave Road in Bryanston.”
He added that East Hertford Road is scheduled for repairs during the week of February 16 to 20. “The regional depot is currently attending to the potholes backlog. Work is in progress.”
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