The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) have started damage assessments and clean-up operations following heavy storms and flooding that affected parts of Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal earlier this week.

In a statement released by Sanral on Tuesday, Logashri Sewnarain, Regional Manager of South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Eastern Region) said that no damage had been reported to roads and bridges within Sanral’s jurisdiction.

“A cut face on the M41 between the Mt Edgecombe Interchange and the new Flanders Drive Interchange (where the new Flanders Drive on-ramp goes onto the M41), collapsed onto the M41, closing part of the M41 East bound. The actual road is, however, intact and will be reopened once the mud debris has been cleared,” Sewnarain said disputing reports that the road itself had collapsed.

The agency said once the rains subside and the flood waters recede it would be able to make a thorough assessment to determine if there has been any damage to roads and bridges.

Clean-ups start in Johannesburg

The JRA started its clean-up activities on Wednesday focussing on hotspot areas where homes and roads are worst affected.

“We are aware of several low lying bridges overtopping, sinkholes that have developed requiring road closures, some road surfaces that are lifting and also bridge abutment structures that have been eroded, traffic signal outages, in addition to the flooding of properties and houses by the storm water,” said MMC for Transport Nonhlanhla Makhuba.

According to the JRA three construction projects were impacted by the heavy downpours resulting in two homes being flooded in Tshepisong where a Gravel roads upgrade project is underway and where water reticulations systems have not yet been completed.

“A number of homes were also flooded in Bramfisherville at a Gravel roads upgrade project. At a Complete Streets project in Wynberg, one of the Magistrates Courts was flooded and project managers are assessing whether the flooding was construction related,” the agency said.