R88 million set aside for potholes
The 2017 city wide VCI inspection indicates that 40 per cent of the City’s roads are in very good condition, 15 per cent in a good condition, 15 per cent in a fair condition, 14 per cent in a poor condition and 15 per cent in a very poor condition.
EXECUTIVE Mayor of Johannesburg Clr Herman Mashaba and a number of officials are addressing the pothole repair backlog as part of an R88 million mayoral intervention.
They have declared war on potholes and are prioritising the repair of failing road surfaces.
“We have provided additional funding to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) in the 2016/17 Adjustment Budget – R60 million for materials and equipment for pothole repairs and other types of road maintenance and R28 million to start to address the 40 per cent staff capacity shortage in the road maintenance teams,” Mashaba said.
In partnership with JRA, he added, the City of Johannesburg is committed to improving mobility through the provision of safe roads and infrastructure network.
As part of this exercise, an inspection will be carried out in accordance with the use of JRA’s Visual Condition Index (VCI) criteria, every two years, to enable the scientific prioritisation of roads for reconstruction and resurfacing.
The 2017 VCI inspection indicates that 40 per cent of roads are in very good condition, 15 per cent in good condition, 15 per cent in a fair condition, 14 per cent in poor condition and 15 per cent in very poor condition.
“A contractor has been appointed to assist with the repair of potholes while additional staff are being recruited. Pothole repair teams are working overtime to tackle the backlog, including on weekends,” Mashaba said.
Through JRA’s integrated citizen communications channels, 37 450 potholes were reported between April 2015 and February 2017, of which 32 740 have been resolved. This indicates an 87,4 per cent resolution rate.
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