For two months residents of Northdene, other motorists and local businesses were deprived usage of a busy section of the Hans Dettman Highway (M34) near Pinetown.
But that stretch of road was reopened on Sunday, thanks to the team of volunteers, who also restored flood-damaged portions of the road near the Pompeni Bridge, which links Shallcross and Queensburgh, last month.
A sizeable chunk of roadway near the busy intersection of Hans Dettman and the Wiltshire Road was washed away by the recent heavy rains, leaving it in a far worse condition than Pompeni.
That did not deter the volunteers, who began the repair work last Saturday.
They estimated the cost to restore the roads to be in excess of R4 million.
With assistance from engineers and a crowdfunding initiative, which received backing from the community and local business, the volunteers raised nearly R300 000 for the project, which they planned to complete this weekend.
“Our concern was residents and businesses being inconvenienced for nearly two months,” said Kader Goolam, who was also a key role player in the Pompeni project.
Goolam said they received pleas for assistance from Northdene residents, based on their Pompeni work.
“Residents were aware it could take months before the roads were completely fixed,” he said.
Goolam said the Northdene damage was worse than Pompeni, especially around the highway’s bridge over the uMhlatuzana River, and traffic congestion was even greater.
“There was just one lane available for traffic travelling in both directions and local people suffered the most.
“The bridge culverts were jammed with tree branches and debris at both ends,” he said.
Due to the extent of erosion, especially around the bridge and under the highway, Goolam and his crew realised backfilling and compacting were most needed.
“A section of Hans Dettman had to be closed. Extensive backfilling was required and we drove around in search of massive rocks that we needed.
“Our network of contacts assisted with various aspects of the work and some loaned us their trucks and equipment at no charge. We paid for the daily diesel and operator costs which ran into tens of thousands of rands,” he said.
Goolam said they approached the authorities for assistance, including the Department of Transport, which has offices metres away from the bridge; but received no firm commitments as yet.
Gerald Subramoney, of Northdene, who rallied the support of residents and engaged with Goolam and his team, said their big worry was getting 120 high school pupils to Wingen Heights Secondary in Shallcross every day.
“Traffic congestion was also a big factor. But doing day to day things became challenging because we had to use alternate routes, which were time consuming and expensive,” he said.
Subramoney said the wait for assistance was tiring, so they formed the Northdene Bridge Project Committee and teamed-up with the Pompeni guys.
They also had the support of the nearby informal settlements (Khumalo and Majozi) and the local taxi association.
He appreciated the work of the volunteers, which included some experienced road construction brains, and the engineers who assisted.
“Now we hope that the authorities will do stabilising in sections where we did compacting, they also need to do the tarring and fit traffic lights that were knocked over,” Subramoney said.
Marcus Richards, who coordinated the Pompeni and Northdene projects said their common goal was to help the community as the highway was an important arterial road.
“We were committed to what we were hoping to accomplish. It took much sacrifice from the volunteers, who had their own businesses and homes to run.
“We have engaged an accountant who will reconcile and produce financial statements for the money that was spent on this project,” said Richards.
Kwanele Ncalane, spokesperson for the KZN Transport Department, said their financial constraints prevented them from fully expediting all the required repair work, and was mindful not to completely endorse the work of volunteers who were fixing road infrastructure in affected areas, but acknowledged their relevance.
“We understand the situation and the pressure that communities are facing, what is being done now are temporary provisions for them to be able to move,” h esaid.
Ncalane said they had a plan to fix infrastructure, but the non-availability of resources left them unable to fix all affected areas at once.
“We had to re-prioritise our projects. We couldn't fold our arms and wait. Work is being done with the budget we have. We are still in consultation with the National and Treasury departments for further funds,” he said.
He explained that once funds from the Treasury were received, they would rebuild structures in places like Shallcross and Northdene because it had to comply with their engineering standards.
“We appeal for patience from communities as we will be putting in proper bridges and structures. We have done our assessments and some of them require extensive engineering,” Ncalane promised.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE