12 Mar 2018

An official from Department of Roads in Maun says the highly potholed section of the road between Makalamabedi and Phuduhudu in the Ngami District needed reconstruction as opposed to patching as it gets damaged almost immediately after filling those potholes.

Mr Edwin Mangadi told the disaster management committee meeting in Maun recently that this section of the road exhibited structural failure as it had surpassed its life span.

The said section starts from Makalamabedi veterinary gates towards Phuduhudu and this problematic piece is 46 kilometres long. 

Mr Mangadi said the situation worsened during rainy season due to the ponding of water on the road which led to penetration of water into deeper layers of pavement. 

He further said some areas were not patched due to failure of deeper layers of the pavements.

Mr Mangadi said fatigue as a result of repeated deflection under heavy vehicles and ageing of the pavement leads to reduced capacity and accelerated deterioration of the road.

He noted that since the road had surpassed its life span without any periodic maintenance intervention, routine maintenance by patching had proved not to be the best solution.

However, there were numerous complaints by motorists and some councilors in the Maun Administration Authority (MAA) that companies contracted to fill potholes in the same road were doing a shoddy job. 

Motorists further indicated that their vehicles were destroyed by the state of the road as they frequently experience tyre busts as a result of potholes.

 MAA councillors recently visited the road to appreciate the situation.

Mr Mangadi nonetheless said the department would ensure that in future works of road maintenance would be awarded to contractors with proven track record of carrying out similar works. Ends