Renewed hope for Chris de Villiers Street

Road users who traverse the area between De Emigratie Road and Chris de Villiers Street will agree that the entirety of this area’s road surface has gone to hell in a hand basket. Wards are littered with large sinkholes and untended potholes, which cause thousands of Rands of damage to unsuspecting road users on a weekly basis. Heavy vehicles also have a terrible time of it, with more often than not, heavy vehicles are bogged down in the massive, waterfilled sinkhole in Chris de Villiers Street, which then requires the expense of a towing service to free them from the quagmire.

This comes at great financial cost for transport companies, as this is the only route where heavy vehicles are allowed to travel, lest they wish to risk a traffic fine by weaving through the residential wards or CBD. There is, however, a glimmer of hope, as Athol Stark, president of the Ermelo Business Association (EBA), has arranged to take hands with Msukaligwa Local Municipality (MLM) to rehabilitate the road surface to a certain extent. The cash strapped entity has had a hard time maintaining the roadways within its area of governance, and the EBA has now graciously offered to extend a helping hand. According to Mr. Stark, they have made arrangements with several key roleplayers to cordon off the entire area for heavy vehicles only, including the heavy vehicle route. Residents of the area, and other light motor vehicles, will still be allowed to travel the area freely.

This is necessary, as time is needed to drain the sinkhole in Chris de Villers Street, and allow loads of crushed rock and sediment to be offloaded and compacted. This will make the road surface traversable for the foreseeable future, although it should not be misconstrued as a complete overhaul and resurfacing of the roadway. The EBA’s goal is to ease the strain and toll on motorists and heavy vehicles, who have no choice but to use the roads in this area on a daily basis. MLM has also committed themselves to patching the potholes in the wards of this area to the best of their ability. During the time that this heavy vehicle route is cordoned off, it should be noted that heavy vehicles will be utilizing Voortekker Avenue, turning into Church Street, and exiting Ermelo at the De Emigratie intersection towards Volksrust.

Residents are urged to be patient during this time, as there will be a noticeable influx of heavy vehicles on the above mentioned route. Ultimately, the short duration of this mild inconvenience will be well worth the results, making life easier for all residents and road users. Operations will commence within the week. Should you have any enquiries regarding this project, you may contact Mr. Stark on 082 786 7959.