John Vorster Drive crossover completed

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30-06-2023
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Pretoria Rekord
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“The crossover will further alleviate the current traffic congestion, especially during peak hours,” says local ward councillor.

Centurion motorists will have an easier time on the road following the completion of the crossover road on John Vorster Drive.

The portion of the road was previously closed following the formation of a sinkhole in mid-December 2022.

The sinkhole led to the portion of the road between Nellmapius Drive and Marco Polo Street being closed on the westbound side of the road.

The construction of the crossover road was completed on June 22, with the traffic lanes redirected by Friday, June 23.

Rekord last reported in April that “operational challenges” had led to the completion date being pushed back.

Ward councillor Gert Visser has been following the developments at the site since the sinkhole was first formed.

Visser was pleased to finally announce the completion of the project.

“As of today, the traffic flow will be much better.”

Visser said that new road signs to indicate the detour were also already in place.

“The crossover will further alleviate the current traffic congestion, especially during peak hours,” said Visser.

SINKHOLE STILL NOT REHABILITATED

However, he said the sinkhole was not yet set to be rehabilitated.

Centurion is a hotspot for sinkholes due to underlying dolomitic rock that is highly susceptible to sinkhole formation.

Earlier this year, a portion of Main Road in Irene, near John Vorster Drive, was closed due to road subsidence.

In early April, another large sinkhole formed on Paul Kruger Drive in Thaba Tshwane.

The road has since been closed, and a concrete wall was erected across the former road.

Visser previously shared his concerns with Rekord.

“The current annual municipal budget allocated to repair sinkholes in Tshwane is only in the vicinity of R30-million,” said Visser earlier this year.

He said that the amount needed to be increased to R90-million to expedite the rehabilitation of numerous sinkholes in Centurion.

However, following the approval of the new municipal budget in May, the budget for sinkholes was decreased from the previous R30-million to about R15-million, according to Finance MMC Peter Sutton.