BUSINESS - CONSUMER
| 2013-08-08Road repairs frustrate drivers
Rukee Kaakunga
The Windhoek-Rehoboth stretch of the B1 highway has added more worries to the hordes of commuters using it daily and those who make use of this vital link between Namibia’s capital city and the country’s biggest source of imported goods, South Africa.
Road works, being done on it since last year, agitate a number of readers. One sent this complaint to The Namibian Consumer:
“I would like to personally thank the Roads Authority for the stone wash my car got on Saturday and Sunday, driving along the road to Rehoboth. To be precise, between the weighbridge and the Peralin Paints plant. The right hand side of the road had been resurfaced and they left all the stones lying in the road! The result of this is probably millions of dollars of damage to vehicles. This will end up costing car owners and insurance companies a lot of money.
“Of course, Roads Authority didn’t take any responsibility and quite happily pushed the blame to Element Consulting, who are apparently responsible for their road works supervision there. So a big thank you to both Roads Authority and Element Consulting for contributing so positively to the economy.”
Upon investigation, a number of other people, including one who commutes daily between Windhoek and Rehoboth corroborated these claims, saying that his car has also been damaged as a result of the road works.
After weeks of attempting to get a comment from the Roads Authority (RA) on the matter, Manager of Corporate Communications, Hileni Fillemon said that the RA is not liable for any damages that may arise due to the repairs.
“The Roads Authority requires its contractors to take out indemnity cover for the period they work on a road to cover any accidents or damage that might occur to members of the public. The claim is thus put through to the contractor’s insurer for assessment. The liability is therefore not that of the Roads Authority”, she said.
Tiaan Badenhorst from the constructing company confirmed that his company does carry an insurance cover for any damages done due to neglect on the part of the contractor.
“In the case of Kalknaute to Aris, the “stripping” as is referred to in the industry was however not due to the contractor’s neglect. The section of road, Kalknaute to Aris, had a very uneven texture and surface and since we do not do any designs on the road, but only execute the design as received from the client’s consulting engineer”, he said. The consulting engineer had not responded to queries by the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, Fillemon advised all aggrieved drivers to submit any legitimate claims to the contractor who can be contacted via email at Taupele.admin@iway.na.
She further reminded the public that the repairs to the B1 Road between Windhoek and Rehoboth will continue until the end of August this year.
“All motorists are humbly requested to be cautious, as there will be severe dust conditions and limited sight distance. Please adhere to the traffic signs and reduce your speed when travelling on the sections where remedial works are currently underway”, she said.
Road works, being done on it since last year, agitate a number of readers. One sent this complaint to The Namibian Consumer:
“I would like to personally thank the Roads Authority for the stone wash my car got on Saturday and Sunday, driving along the road to Rehoboth. To be precise, between the weighbridge and the Peralin Paints plant. The right hand side of the road had been resurfaced and they left all the stones lying in the road! The result of this is probably millions of dollars of damage to vehicles. This will end up costing car owners and insurance companies a lot of money.
“Of course, Roads Authority didn’t take any responsibility and quite happily pushed the blame to Element Consulting, who are apparently responsible for their road works supervision there. So a big thank you to both Roads Authority and Element Consulting for contributing so positively to the economy.”
Upon investigation, a number of other people, including one who commutes daily between Windhoek and Rehoboth corroborated these claims, saying that his car has also been damaged as a result of the road works.
After weeks of attempting to get a comment from the Roads Authority (RA) on the matter, Manager of Corporate Communications, Hileni Fillemon said that the RA is not liable for any damages that may arise due to the repairs.
“The Roads Authority requires its contractors to take out indemnity cover for the period they work on a road to cover any accidents or damage that might occur to members of the public. The claim is thus put through to the contractor’s insurer for assessment. The liability is therefore not that of the Roads Authority”, she said.
Tiaan Badenhorst from the constructing company confirmed that his company does carry an insurance cover for any damages done due to neglect on the part of the contractor.
“In the case of Kalknaute to Aris, the “stripping” as is referred to in the industry was however not due to the contractor’s neglect. The section of road, Kalknaute to Aris, had a very uneven texture and surface and since we do not do any designs on the road, but only execute the design as received from the client’s consulting engineer”, he said. The consulting engineer had not responded to queries by the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, Fillemon advised all aggrieved drivers to submit any legitimate claims to the contractor who can be contacted via email at Taupele.admin@iway.na.
She further reminded the public that the repairs to the B1 Road between Windhoek and Rehoboth will continue until the end of August this year.
“All motorists are humbly requested to be cautious, as there will be severe dust conditions and limited sight distance. Please adhere to the traffic signs and reduce your speed when travelling on the sections where remedial works are currently underway”, she said.
