Ask any South African their opinion over the state of our roads and it’s highly likely your question will be met with sighs, eye rolls and much disdain! The reality is our roads are a sad state of affairs and the majority of major and arterial routes have poorly maintained roads. From poorly constructed roads because of tenders going to unqualified companies to potholes growing larger by the day, you’ll find certain sections of road continually hazardous. In fact, poor road conditions are a big contributor to road accidents in general. So the big question is…how much does it cost to fix potholes in South Africa?
It turns out that fixing roads and potholes is an expensive business. The Democratic Alliance have put forward a figure of R7 million per kilometer of road, reminding the public a road consists of anything from 3 up to 6 layers of tar. The repair cost per square meter of tarred road costs around R2000 to R3000. Engineers allege a simple repair job simply fixing the surface layer of a road will cost on average R1 million per kilometer. That is the material cost only and excludes other fees such as labour, design and engineering.
Fixing potholes is a little less costly but still an expensive exercise. It costs between R700 and R1500 per square meter to repair potholes, according to the transport minister. The minister alleges it is not possible to eradicate potholes entirely because of weather conditions and rainfall patterns.
To add to the problem, roads constructed over 25 years ago were never designed with the current volume of traffic our roads see in mind. This has reduced their lifespan and put them under additional strain with a level of wear and tear they weren’t designed for. The Provincial Road Maintenance Grant allocates R12 billion to all provinces annually, but looking at the exorbitant costs of repairs, that won’t be nearly enough to get our roads up to scratch anytime soon.
Apply for a Road Accident Fund Bridging Loan
If you have been in a motor vehicle accident due to poorly maintained roads or potholes and you have received a settlement figure from the Road Accident Fund, you are eligible to apply for an RAF cash advance by getting up to 75% of your settlement early. No more waiting for the RAF to pay you, get the money you deserve now.