LOUISE KNOWLES
ROAD-BUILDING specifications are not being adhered to in Port Alfred, according to a retired roads engineer who pointed out several problem areas in roads recently paved with brick pavers.
The man, who prefers to remain anonymous, said the first principle of road building is preparation, as without adequate compacting of the ground, the surface would eventually subside in places.
He said the bed of sand had to be wet and it was no good laying the bricks on dry sand.
“Otherwise when the pavers crack, they start to move apart and then the cracks get worse, especially if there is no cement on the sides of the road holding the pavers in place, as has happened in Van der Riet Street, which is beginning to subside in places,” he said.
“Van der Riet was well done, but at one stage the edges were unstable and even dangerous,” he said.
Roads never appear to be properly completed, he said. “The municipality then moves on to the next road and the process repeats itself.”
There are currently road resurfacing projects in Beach Road, Prince’s Avenue, Joe Slovo Road and Runeli Road in Nemato, the road to 43 Air School as well as the Duck Pond parking lot, which is nearing completion.
TotT previously reported on how water pooled in that parking lot during rainfall. The retired engineer said that the problem was that the surface should have been laid from the highest point downwards.
Municipal spokesman Cecil Mbolekwa said the brick pavers were used in areas which are not busy roads, the quality of the pavers was fine for those areas, and the contracted road engineer had enough experience to do the work, and not to use inferior materials.
Mbolekwa said they would try to push the work on Beach Road so that not much would be left to do by December.
