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Sunday / 16 February 2025
HomeNewsMajor South African city takes big step to improve road repairs

Major South African city takes big step to improve road repairs

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has re-commissioned the City’s asphalt plant situated in the suburb of Booysens, which is capable of churning out up to 1,520 tonnes of tar per day.

The plant has been out of operation since August 2022 owing to an “array of technical and operational hurdles, most notably the absence of an appointed bitumen supplier, a crucial component in the production of asphalt,” said Zweli Nyathi, acting CEO of the JRA.

The facility is responsible for producing asphalt needed to repair and expand Joburg’s road network, and it will now enable the JRA to resume the autonomous provision of the material for important projects.

This will ensure more efficient maintenance and construction undertakings as well as provide “substantial fiscal savings” for the City, said Nyathi

“The JRA no longer has to rely on third parties for the supply of hot and cold mix to fix potholes and resurface roads,” said Councillor Kenny Kunene.

“With this plant now fully operational, service delivery for road maintenance, including pothole repairs, will be greatly improved, benefiting all road users while easing the movement of people and goods.”

200 tonnes of tar per hour

The JRA asphalt plant boasts a production capacity of 200 tonnes per hour, which translates to the potential to resurface approximately 2.5km of road on a daily basis.

Asphalt tar roads comprise 12,431km of Johannesburg’s 13,599km road network, therefore making the re-commissioning of the Booysens factory vital in improving service delivery.

The JRA recently conducted a comprehensive visual condition assessment of the City’s streets, and in the process uncovered 2,852km of roads slated for crucial repairs, and a concerning 3,968km in a state ranging from poor to very poor, necessitating complete reconstruction efforts.

In response, it crafted an action plan that includes pothole repairs, crack sealing, and road resurfacing, all of which will be facilitated by tar coming from the now up-and-running Booysens plant.

Another predicament facing the JRA is the fact that it currently requires R11.8 billion to clear the backlog in surfacing and elevating gravel roads.

To remediate these issues, the City has allocated R111 million in the current fiscal year for the resurfacing of 112 lane-kilometres of its road network, as well as an additional R7.1 billion for the enhancement of surfaced roads and R4.7 billion for the transformation of gravel roads into asphalt over the next few years.

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