Pothole brigade is on stand-by

With the rainy season comes renewed threats of potholes forming, but the Dial Direct Pothole Brigade is ready to get to work on provincial roads whenever it is needed.
WITH the heat wave upon us and the rainy summer season imminent, motorists have been warned of a “barrage of menacing potholes” likely to occur on the roads.

A jetpatcher at workA jetpatcher at work“Water is asphalt’s nemesis,” says Bradley du Chenne, a senior executive at Dial Direct Insurance, adding that motorists should be cautious.

“Potholes form after water seeps down below the road surface and freezes, loosening the asphalt. The inevitable thaw, rain and passing traffic then exacerbate the problem,” he explains.

But the Dial Direct Pothole Brigade, in partnership with Lead SA and the Gauteng provincial department of roads and transport, will be on stand-by to plug any gaps.

“Our three pothole patching machines, Jetpatchers and our team of 27 pothole repairers and inspectors are ready for the next onslaught of potholes. We will also soon announce new areas of operation in Gauteng,” Du Chenne says.

Since its launch in August last year, the Dial Direct Pothole Brigade has repaired just under 35 000 potholes in and around Johannesburg, including Soweto, Lenasia and Alexandra.

“We are very proud of what we have accomplished to date and the response from the public has been incredible. We consider it an enormously effective initiative for making Gauteng’s roads safer and reducing insurance claims for damage to vehicles caused by potholes.”

Last week, Dial Direct announced that its partnership with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) had come to an end. The special task force had been commissioned to deal with Joburg’s ever-increasing potholes.

A pothole on a Joburg roadMotorists can report potholes directly to the JRAAs such, Du Chenne says, the brigade will no longer be responsible for repairing potholes on roads inside the N14, from Rooihuiskraal to Krugersdorp, down to Roodepoort, across to Germiston, on to Bedfordview, up to Sandton across to Olifantsfontein and back to Rooihuiskraal.

The JRA is now formalising procedures and framework structures to incorporate the repair of potholes into a tender process. Motorists should now report potholes in JRA areas directly to the agency on hotline@jra.org.za.

However, the brigade urges motorists who identify potholes on Gauteng roads to report them either online, or by dialling *120*1551# from a cellphone and following the onscreen instructions, or via the mobile site, potholebrigade.mobi.

If the pothole is within the brigade’s area of operation and scope of repair, it will fix it; if it is beyond its scope of repair, details will be sent on to either the JRA or the provincial department of roads and transport.

Once a pothole has been reported to the brigade, a reference number, which can be used to track its repair status, will be sent to the person making the report. You will also be able to opt in for updates via SMS or email.