Johannesburg Roads Agency puts a date on stalling intersection’s reinstatement

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09-05-2024
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Rosebank Killarney Gazette
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The intersection on Clarence and Buckingham avenues in Craighall has been in disarray from August 2023.

The Craighall Residents Association’s frustrations continue to grow as the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) takes its time to reinstate the corner of Clarence and Buckingham avenues in Craighall.

Two months ago, the publication updated the public that the JRA gave the unsafe intersection, which had been in a poor state for over five months, needed attention. However, the roads agency did not finish reinstating Clarens and Buckingham avenues after repairing the intersection’s fragmented storm-water drains on February 24.

The residents association’s Samantha Herman explained that despite multiple requests and follow-ups from the Craighall Residents Association (CRA) and the Ward 90 councillor, Martin Williams, many reinstatements that required repairs remained incomplete.

“The delay in completing this repair poses significant risks to road users and pedestrians. According to the City of Johannesburg by-laws, any excavation left unattended for more than five days should be promptly made safe by the road authority. However, the backfilling and reinstatement works, critical for ensuring road integrity and minimising disruption, have been inexplicably delayed for almost nine months since the initial repair commenced.”

Herman implored the City of Johannesburg authorities to adhere to their procedural obligations outlined in the by-laws and take immediate action to rectify the situation.

Johannesburg Road Agency spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers noted that the teams completed the backfilling and compacting work on Buckingham and Clarens. “The affected section will be tarred during the week ending May 10, along with other scheduled reinstatements in Craighall and surrounding areas in Region B.”

Williams highlighted that he has had multiple follow-ups with the Johannesburg Roads Agency and Johannesburg Water since the storm-water pipe at the corner of Clarence and Buckingham avenues was repaired.

“After several inquiries, JRA said they were waiting for a work order from Joburg Water. This surprised me as all the documentation would have been in place months ago. I followed up with Joburg Water, who on April 2, sent proof of a wayleave and work order to JRA. This did not stir JRA into action.”

Williams concluded that the poor communication between JRA and JW was unhealthy and was symptomatic of dysfunction at the executive level.