Motorists says Montague Drive in Montague Gardens has been hit by a “sinkhole plague” after yet another sinkhole formed last week.
This is the second sinkhole in less than a month – the City confirmed that ageing infrastructure is the cause of the sinkholes.
The second sinkhole resulted in a large hole being formed in the roadway approximately 60 metres before the location of the previous incident which occurred on 21 August. The first repair is currently progressing well, the City says.
“I don’t trust this road anymore,” says Gavin Lawack, who used this road for years to travel to work.
“The first sinkhole was understandable, but a second one? The City will not give my life back when I end up in one of those sinkholes,” he told TygerBurger.
Other motorists also expressed their concerns via social media (see Facebook insert).
“We are aware of the collapsed sewer in Montague Drive, Milnerton, which occurred today. It has resulted in a large hole being formed in the roadway. The extent of the damage will be assessed by a contractor before the actual remedial work can be done,” the City said in a statement last week.
Remedial work
The City’s water and sanitation directorate is currently attending to an additional collapsed sewer in Montague Drive. Due to this occurrence, an additional section of the road needs to be closed, and traffic in the area will be diverted.
“Traffic services are also on site to assist with the diversion of traffic in the area. This is in the interest of safety as it will also afford the ease of operating the large mechanical equipment during the excavation process. The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused and asks motorists to please co-operate during this time,” the statement further reads.
The City is currently constructing an entirely new Montague Bulk Sewer Pipeline to be completed by 2025. The current phase of this major project is valued at R470 million.
This complex project entails the construction of a new bulk sewer in Montague Gardens using innovative micro-tunnelling technology. The City will also extend and connect the Edgemead and Century City Bulk Sewers into the new infrastructure.
Once the nearly 4 km of new bulk sewer is built by early 2025, the City will divert sewage along this new line while it rehabilitates the existing Bulk Sewer in Montague Drive, Montague Gardens.
