Since the year 2000, the city o f Gweru has had an unprecedented proliferation o f unattended potholes on m ost o f its roads
These potholes have caused discomfort to the m otoring public, caused death to others and damaged vehicles. This paper presents the
results o f a study that sought to establish the spatial distribution o f potholes and determine their socio-econom ic impacts in Gweru’s
residential areas. Pothole location and dim ensions were m easured in the field whilst interviews and questionnaires were administered to
vehicle owners, m otor m echanic experts, drivers and the travelling public to determine their socio-econom ic and m echanical impacts.
Stratified, convenience and purposive sam pling methods were used in the selection o f study streets and respondents to questionnaires
and interviews. Results revealed that potholes are more concentrated in high density residential areas com pared to low density areas.
This is primarily due to the substandard construction o f roads done in high density residential areas. Other causes o f pothole formation
identified during this study are poor drainage on the roads, rainfall impact, advanced age o f roads, poor or lack o f maintenance, type and
volume o f traffic as well as the effect o f tree-root prying on paved surfaces. It is recom m ended that Gweru City Council enters into
partnerships in road construction. The city should also establish fundraising projects to augm ent its budget. This would help ease
problems o f service delivery including road maintenance. Signposts can be erected to warn drivers about these hazards in the most
affected streets and suburbs. It is also im portant that council set aside a toll-free telephone line link with road users so that areas where
new potholes have been detected are quickly reported and attended to. This will not only save lives but also reduce road maintenance
costs and vehicle damage.