DEATH TRAPS!

City of uMhlathuze prioritises pothole-riddled roads

ACCIDENTS waiting to happen!

This is the deplorable state of some roads within the City of uMhlathuze - some of which fall under the jurisdiction of the KZN Department of Transport (DoT).

Concerns have been raised about the deteriorating condition of the John Ross highway, roads within the industrial area of Alton and the stretch between Brackenham and eNseleni, many of which are riddled with potholes.

While the uMhlathuze Municipality says it is tackling repairs to the damaged road infrastructure, which has been worsened by recent heavy rains and flooding, there is a serious lack of maintenance of provincial roads within the city.

The John Ross highway, which has not been maintained for quite some time, has many areas of concern including overgrown grass on the verges, faded line markings, blocked storm water systems and sinkholes.

This has prompted City Mayor Xolani Ngwezi to request a meeting with the KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison in an effort to discuss, among others, the overall maintenance of the infrastructure and proposed doubling of North Central Arterial from the Brackenham intersection to the N2 to ease congestion.

uMhlathuze ward 2 Councillor Christo Botha says, not only are these damaged roads 'death traps', but they also place the city's road infrastructure under severe strain.

'The recent flooding, increase in the volume of heavy vehicles, and failure of the DoT to maintain the roads under its jurisdiction are contributing to the rapid deterioration of the condition of our roads and streets,' said Botha.

'The condition of the P231 between eNseleni and

Richards Bay is extremely bad. There are potholes everywhere and DoT is failing dismally to carry out maintenance on this stretch of road.

'We have a number of heavy vehicles using this road on a daily basis and it is an extremely busy stretch. The lack of maintenance puts the lives of our residents and motorists at risk.'

Botha further expressed concern at the state of roads in the busy industrial area of Alton, particularly Alumina Allee. Ratepayers have also bemoaned the shocking state of the R102 between Empangeni and Felixton, where motorists veer onto the oncoming lanes to avoid huge potholes.

'Unfortunately, the public is unaware that the municipality is not responsible for the maintenance of some of the critical roads,' he said.

Botha said the municipality does, however, recognise the poor condition of its own infrastructure, and repairs will be prioritised.