As the City’s Executive Mayor resuscitates the ‘Pothole Patrol’ initiative following torrential rains, the partnership with two insurance firms headquartered in Joburg has so far repaired over 75 000 potholes on municipal roads.
Ratified in May last year, Joburg’s Pothole Patrol is a three-pronged partnership between the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and commercial insurers, Discovery Insure and Dial Direct Insurance. It aims to manage the repair of potholes throughout Johannesburg in a unique data-driven initiative designed to make roads safer and more conducive for driving.
Dr Mpho Phalatse says the partnership is bearing fruit and has thrown the City’s weight behind it once again to deal with the pothole problem in the metro.
“The Pothole Patrol initiative has proven to fix potholes across Johannesburg at a greater pace, to the benefit of the City’s residents,” says Cllr Phalatse.
Pothole Patrol Coordinator, Jonathan Gratch says the initiative prioritises roads that are more frequently used, impacting more users, and thereby causing more damage.
The City inked a two-year partnership with the insurers, which runs between May 2021 and May 2023. After an effective launch last year, the JRA says working with the pothole patrol “task-force” helps the entity augment the quality of its work while speeding up the repair of road defects across the municipality. On average, the JRA repairs 5, 000 potholes a month throughout thousands of kilometres of road infrastructure.
With Joburg’s roads infrastructure made vulnerable by the rainy season, the state of roads in the City has been deteriorating, leading to a peak in insurance claims related to tarmac damages to vehicles. “We are therefore thankful for this partnership and its investment in Johannesburg’s road infrastructure,” adds the Mayor.
Transport MMC, Cllr Funzela Ngobeni says in addition to the partnership with Discovery Insure and Dial Direct Insurance, road-related service delivery is set for a major boost across the City as all JRA depot workers return to work on a full-time basis following a directive from the Acting City Manager, Floyd Brink.
Due to the JRA not being deemed an essential service when Covid-19 regulations were promulgated in March 2020, the entity’s employees were reporting for duty on a rotational basis and could not produce asphalt to repair potholes and resurface roads.
“The JRA was forced to reduce capacity at its depots, with the decision significantly affecting the repair and maintenance of road infrastructure throughout the City. For almost two years, the entity has been forced to operate with two-thirds of its usual workforce of general workers at any given time,” Ngobeni explains.
The MMC says with the return of JRA staffers to work on a full-time basis, the additional workforce will ensure service requests logged by residents are addressed quicker than before.
“The JRA’s effort to address the backlog in potholes and other road defects will see all resources and teams from various depots come together to tackle deep patching, faulty or vandalised traffic signals, road markings, blocked kerb inlets, potholes and guardrails,” says Ngobeni.
Potholes occur when water penetrates under the road surface and freezes, loosening the asphalt. The inevitable thaw, incessant rain, and moving traffic exacerbate the issue. Travelling across Johannesburg in two largely articulated vehicles nicknamed Jet-Patchers – which are loaded with an aggregate of rock and mineral fragments, including the hot asphalt used to patch the pothole – the pothole patrol task force is always on standby to plug out any road defects.
The City concedes that the recent rainy season has renewed threats of new potholes on municipal roads and that the Covid-19 lockdown created a backlog in road maintenance. However, with the help of the pothole patrol, Joburg’s ever-increasing road defects will be dealt with effectively, helping repair the structural integrity of the City’s road network.
“Johannesburg roads are in dire need of significant investment as repairing a pothole is considered a temporary measure and a red flag, warning us that something else could be wrong,” Gratch warns.
Both insurers hope the initiative will reduce road accidents related to potholes and decrease exorbitant insurance claims for damage to vehicles caused by potholes.
“It is important to note that the JRA has been exceptional in extremely trying circumstances. We appreciate the support and gracious help from all of the regions to make this project a success,” adds Gratch.
Motorists should report any road defects or potholes directly to the JRA or download the Pothole Patrol App.
Written by Gontse ‘GeE’ Hlophe
18/02/2022