Potholes in Taman Eramas, Beaufort roads sealed
Published on: Tuesday, February 06, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The concessionaire’s workers put their back into spreading the gravel over the damaged sections of this Beaufort road.
GRAVEL has been poured over the potholes which have formed in some of the roads around Taman Eramas, in Beaufort, while pieces of plywood have been placed over the exposed sections of the drain which runs below the parking area in one part of the town.
This action was prompted by separate feedback about the lack of maintenance carried out on the stretches in the neighbourhood, as well as the inconvenience caused to motorcyclists if their bikes inadvertently went in “the holes” there.
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The individuals, who spoke out about this, provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances.
The potholes in this housing road in Taman Eramas are a source of frustration to the drivers living here.
This information was forwarded to the District Council.
A spokesman for the agency said a check of its records revealed that the roads in Taman Eramas were under the Council’s jurisdiction.
He said its staff confirmed that a few of the housing roads were damaged, during an inspection early last week.
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“This problem was aggravated by the wet weather which Beaufort has been experiencing, on and off, for some time.”
He said the government concessionaire was apprised of the Council’s findings.
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“On Friday, a truck-load of gravel and a team of workers from the company were deployed to the housing area.
“The stones were laid over the damaged sections, with the workers manually grading the surface of the affected roads.”
He said this was done as a means of offering drivers some short-term relief.
“The concessionaire intends to have the roads resurfaced from end to end at some point this year and is sourcing for the funds to do this.
“The company has accorded priority to having these stretches improved.”
The Council’s contractor points to the plywood and warning signs placed over the exposed sections in this parking area in Beaufort.
When asked how often they were maintained, the spokesman said the firm’s staff dealt with the housing roads according to a fixed schedule.
In the case of the parking area between Jalan Chung and Lorong Padas Dua, the spokesman said the Council planned to have grills placed over the exposed sections of the covered drain there.
“We are in the process of appointing a contractor to undertake this work,” he said.
He explained that metal sheets had previously been placed over “the holes” in the parking area but had been targeted by vandals.
“Some plywood has temporarily been placed over the affected sections of a day after we realised the covers were missing.
“We hoped in this way to protect pedestrians from injuring themselves and to alert motorcyclists of trouble-spots were.
“We didn’t want them to accidentally back into the holes.”
A Good Samaritan placed some branches in the “holes” to alert motorcyclists of the trouble-spots in the parking area.
The spokesman explained that maintenance was carried out on the drain as and when it warranted doing so.
LOONG of Beaufort bemoaned the deteriorating condition of the pothole-laden stretch leading to his home in Taman Eramas
“The condition of the road is going from bad to worse,” he said.
“I highlighted this matter to the local authorities some time ago but, so far, no action has been taken.
“I cannot understand why they have not repaired the affected sections of the stretch.”
He said the road resembled an obstacle course, with potholes of various depths and sizes having formed on the surface.
“Drivers who swerve around the damaged sections, risk colliding with oncoming traffic.
“They also risk having their vehicles hit from behind as they slow down to try and avoid going over the potholes.”
Loong said it was sometimes difficult for road users to tell where the potholes were during a downpour for the stretch had a tendency to flood.
He also expressed his displeasure about the added expenditure he had incurred from having to take his car to the workshop over and over again.
“The undercarriage frequently gets damaged because of the uneven surface of the stretch.”
Another Beaufort resident, JOH, voiced his concerns about the safety hazards posed by the uncovered sections in the parking area between two blocks of shophouses in the town.
He said motorcyclists could back into the holes and be thrown from their bikes.
“Those going on foot, on the other hand, may not see where they are going at night and could end up walking into the holes,” he said.
“They could very well wind up twisting their ankle or injuring themselves.”
Joh hoped the Council would intervene by cordoning off the exposed sections before anyone came to harm.
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