Boston’s pothole-plagued roads are among those that will be getting attention from City road-repair crews in coming weeks.
Angus McKenzie, chairman of the City’s transport portfolio, said the transport directorate had spent R43 million on fixing more than 17 000 potholes across the city from the beginning of July last year up to the start of lockdown in March, but the Covid-19 confinement restrictions and the winter weather had stalled further projects.
However, the easing of lockdown restrictions meant more staff were returning to work and repair projects were resuming again, Mr McKenzie said.
“With the levels lowering, depots have returned to 70% capacity and more are expected to return in the coming weeks.”
The transport directorate was now clearing backlogs, Mr McKenzie said.
“The City understands the frustration felt by our residents but asks for their continued patience while we tackle the backlog.”
Jean Beukman, manager of the Boston Community Improvement District, said the neighbourhood’s roads had deteriorated badly in the last few months.
“Roads are bad in Boston, and there is a lot of work to be done, especially at stop streets and intersections.”
In some parts, the sub-base (the layer under the tar) was visible through the cracks and there were also sections of road that had not been repaired after they had been dug up to fix water leaks, he said.
“I have seen throughout Boston that a number of projects have begun, but, in the meantime, I would recommend that all residents make use of the reporting system provided on the City’s website to report these potholes in front of their own houses and streets,” Mr Beukman said.