Prevention is definitely
better than cure when it
comes to potholes.
According to the CSIR,
which last year compiled
a guideline document
that covers the causes,
prevention and repair
methods of potholes,
regular maintenance can
go a long way to solving
what has become a costly
problem.
According to the South
Africa Road Federation,
potholes cost the country
around R50 billion a
year. The value of South
Africa’s road network
is R1 047 trillion, with
the current road
maintenance expenditure
estimated to be around
the R10 billion mark.
The road maintenance
backlog amounts to
R100 billion, with annual
road maintenance in
need of R32 billion.
“People are up in arms
about the huge number
and size of potholes.
To respond to this, we
combined current expertise
and practical examples
and compiled the technical
guide on the causes of
potholes, means of curbing
and preventing their
formation, and providing
specific instructions for
proper fixing of the seven
different categories of
potholes identified,” said
Hans Ittmann, executive
director of CSIR Built
Environment.
“There is no doubt
that water is the primary
cause of potholes. The
combination of unusually
wet conditions over long
periods, excessive traffic
and poorly maintained
roads is a sure recipe for
the development of
potholes. To ‘safeguard’
us against that, authorities
have to ensure preventative
maintenance of roads and
timely, correct repair of
existing potholes,” he said.
“The condition of our
national roads compares
with the best in the
world. Sanral, owner of
the national roads, has
effective maintenance
contracts in place. You
may notice information
boards along national roads
where Sanral provides a
contact number for the
public to report potholes
and poor road conditions.
After a pothole report on
a national road is received
from the public, the holes
are fixed properly within
a matter of days,” says Dr
Phil Paige-Green, author
of the CSIR technical
guidelines.
CSIR plan makes inroads into Gauteng’s pothole problem
0 Comments
