Aiken Street drives users crazy
Aiken Street is being prepared for resurfacing, says the municipality.
MANY motorists using Aiken Street in Port Shepstone have voiced their concerns over the patching of the road.
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They have slammed the resurfacing job as a ‘shambles’ and an ’embarrassment’ to rate and taxpayers and several have called on the municipality to explain poor workmanship.
One businessman said he takes pride in the town he’s grown up in and wants visitors and shoppers to see how special it really is without being distracted by bad roads.
“Aiken Street is the main road into the CBD. It’s like driving on a dirt road now. There are patches and its very bumpy. It’s an eyesore,” he said.
While Herald reporters were taking photos, many people shouted ’embarrassing’.
In some places there are still cracks which have not been repaired.
Spokesman for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, Simon April, said it should be noted that the contractor who was working on Aiken Street was not doing resurfacing but was just doing patching in preparation for surfacing, which is due to start soon.
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“Resurfacing will be done by the same contractor that has been working on Mitchell Drive in Port Shepstone. Once they have completed that road they will start with the resurfacing of Aiken Street and this contractor is known for doing very good work,” said Mr April.
The Herald also questioned the upgrading of other CBD roads and Mr April said the municipality’s roads section did present a plan to Port Shepstone Business Forum going forward.
“It should be understood, though, that the municipality is trying by all means to ensure that the roads are at least in a driveable state. However, it is impossible to resurface all of them at once as this is very expensive, whereas there is a limited budget,” he said.
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Vijay Naidoo of the South Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Port Shepstone Business Forum confirmed that the patching up on the road is phase one and the road will be resurfaced soon.
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