The pothole industry which is what it has become due to no maintenance by the municipalities is costing insurance companies a reported R500 million per month in claims. The average cost of repair is between R25 000 and R30 000 ($2K) and those are the estimates of those claiming for pothole damage. Many do not and pay for their own repairs so the total figure for damages is much higher.
The roads have deteriorated so badly that the insurance companies are now having teams do the more serious pot holes which appear on their claims. In one year the one insurance company repaired over 400 000 potholes and is now averaging 70 000 monthly. Knowing what the average cost is for repairing a pot hole correctly I would suggest the R500 million monthly estimate for costs is way off as this company alone is spending roughly R70 million on road repairs.
South Africa has a trucking problem due to the non existent railways and every container that arrives in port destined for the interior arrives by road. This should all be transported on rail to a main container terminal and then trucks deliver the final 50 km. We can only dream of scenarios that use common sense so this ain't going to be happening after all this is Africa and the more trucks on the road mean more jobs.
The problem is the way the roads are constructed with not enough attention paid to run off and drainage. The roads over time are eroded away by ground water that has seeped through which creates cracks and then the entire section is vulnerable to breaking up. This is why maintenance needs to take place and not wait around until the holes appear.
I have seen the teams repairing the potholes locally and you know this is a temporary fix with the hole being filled with asphalt that at best will last potentially 6 weeks before the hole reappears. You have to think this is done on purpose as what a wonderful business model knowing you will be paid to do the same job over and over again many times each year. This job does not pay you to fix the hole permanently so a temporary filing is going to guarantee repeat business.
I mentioned in a post recently I had to get my sons car fixed as he had 3 buckled rims which is a scenario I have never heard of before. The obvious thought was a failed shock and not buckled rims.
What I find scary is the roads were always bad, but at some point they were fixed or resurfaced eradicating the problems. These days the same holes have been repaired multiple times yet the they still exist and the roads are deteriorating so much so they need a complete rebuild. The money is not available as the municipality has admitted they do not even have the funds to fix the out of order traffic lights so the roads being resurfaced has no chance.
There is even a pot hole ranking which goes to show how bad things are and have selected a few to share with you. Some have hidden features that are unexpected.
This one was not part of the rankings and the number one had a plant feature growing highlighting that this has been there so long. I have witnessed people breaking their axles and losing their entire front tyre as once it rains these holes tend to blend in and you have no idea what lies ahead in wait.