Sinkhole may cause Easter traffic woes

A sinkhole has surfaced on the M4 freeway between Umdloti and Umhlanga - two of KwaZulu-Natal's top Easter holiday destinations.

Traffic is at present being controlled by a stop-and-go system while repairs are under way.

Motorists are infuriated that their travel time between the two centres has increased by up to nearly an hour. They are concerned that this could worsen during the Easter weekend.

Some have used social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to air their frustrations.

Ward councillor Heinz de Boer yesterday said he was not certain whether the three metre-wide and six metre-deep sinkhole would have been fixed by the Easter weekend.

"I can't even imagine what [the traffic backup] would be like during the Easter holidays," De Boer said.

"I really cannot say if it would be fixed by then as I have not received feedback from the provincial transport department."

De Boer said this was exactly the same spot where another sinkhole developed two years ago.

"A stormwater drain runs alongside that road. When it rains and the drain is blocked, the water overflows and erodes the embankment and the road surface," he said.

Provincial transport department spokesman Kwa-nele Ncalane urged motorists to be patient.

"The department is aware of the sinkhole and a team has been sent there."

He could, however, not say whether the sinkhole would be fixed by the start of the Easter weekend .