- The Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure has slammed contractors that use cold asphalt to repair potholes.
- The minister says contractors should be using materials and techniques that insure the repair lasts at least 10 years.
- “Anyone doing a bad job must be compelled to go back and do what has been paid for,” Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Bernice Swarts warned.
With the Summer season approaching, for many parts of the country that means the rain season is coming, and with it, potholes.
The fact of the matter is that rain isn’t the only reason potholes form as explained by Saied Solomons, president of the South African Road Federation and chief executive officer of the Southern Africa Bitumen Association.
“It [road damage] is caused by ultraviolet light from the sun, storm and rainwater and traffic. These stages start with aging of the bitumen which causes the surfacing to crack and this is when road maintenance must come in. But if it doesn’t, water seeps into the underlying layers causing them to weaken. If the cracks are not sealed, potholes form which trigger further rapid deterioration of the road. This is all compounded by overloaded trucks – one overloaded truck can carry the same weight as about 20,000 cars,” explains Solomon.
Proper maintenance and repair is essential and at the weekend Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Bernice Swarts warned contractors about using shortcuts.
The deputy minister was speaking at an Imbizo held at the weekend and slammed contractors that use cold asphalt to repair potholes. This technique is easier than using hot asphalt to repair a pothole but, it’s a repair job that doesn’t last all that long, especially when faced with the extreme weather we experience in South Africa. This is a problem as it means that contractors need to continue patching roads they have previously repaired.
“The government is spending a lot of money fixing potholes. We cannot use material or patch in a manner that will be washed away after a small drizzle. We need to use materials that can give us durability so that the roads can last long. We need to reduce pressure on the fiscus by avoiding fixing similar potholes all the time,” Swarts said at the weekend.
The deputy minister then called on municipalities to enforce standards that will see repairs last for a minimum of 10 years.
“Anyone doing a bad job must be compelled to go back and do what has been paid for. We ask of engineers in municipalities not to compromise and for professional bodies to hold engineers accountable and to abide by industry standards,” said Swarts.
A repair lasting as long as a decade seems like tall order, especially in our extreme climate. With that having been said, we agree with Swarts that it shouldn’t be the case that roads wash away when a bit of rain hits the blacktop.
Whether municipalities and contractors will take the deputy minister’s comments to heart, remains to be seen.
Residents in Johannesburg can download the Pothole Patrol app (iOS and Android) to report potholes for Discovery and Avis to repair. Alternatively, you can download the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport’s Pothole Fix GP app for Android where you can also report faulty traffic lights.
With the rain about to hit us here in the northern parts of the country, we highly recommend you download those apps.
