It has become a habit by maintenance contractors to leave excavated sections of the road unattended and exposed to passing traffic. Construction News Tanzania (CNT) has observed this across the five wards of Dar es Salaam. It appears to be the norm by maintenance contractors leaving these excavated holes for days and at some areas even for months. Fig 1 shows some of the roads that have been left unattended.
Pothole excavation left unbarricaded and without proper signage to warn passing traffic left bare for days and sometimes months before patching the holes, posing high risk to drivers which could result in fatal accidents especially on highways.
The pothole repair process
Preparations are made by cutting the potholes in rectangular shapes and excavating to depths of up to 3”. After excavating, the holes are compacted ready to receive the asphalt patch which according to CNT observation around the region of Dar es Salaam could take between 3 days to more than one month in some areas.
This problem should be addressed to the relevant bodies responsible for implementing roads maintenance.
Lots of drivers are complaining but their cry had reached the responsible stakeholders who can enforce and ensure the maintenance is carried out safely.
If, for unavoidable reasons, the excavated holes have to be left exposed, contractor shall to put in place safety precautions (signage, safety barriers etc.) to warn drivers to slow down in such areas.
