Yet another forced delay for Fleet Street upgrade
MORE delays have hit the Fleet Street upgrades, with a third contractor taking over the site.
Buffalo City Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said a tender was advertised in May last year inviting bidders for the completion of the outstanding section of the road.
The contract was awarded to Crossmoor Transport and Plant Hire at a cost of more than R128million in April this year.
According to Matebese, contractual matters are currently being followed with the site handover scheduled to take place “in due course”.
Currently, annual contractors are in the process of relocating the water, sewer and electrical services from Currie Street to Pontoon Road.
“This is so that when the new contractor starts, they will concentrate on the road only,” he said.
The upgrades have been fraught with delays.
First awarded to Siyahlobisa Projects in May 2013 with a construction period expected to be two years, the contract was cancelled when only 18% of the work had been completed in a year.
A major reason for the delays had been labourers who complained the main sub-contractor was failing to pay them.
The workers said they had been asked to work one week a month instead of four because of alleged changes to the contract between Siyahlobisa and BCM.
The project was suspended in September 2014, with the Siyahlobisa contract terminated in November of that year.
The metro’s annual contractors were then hired to complete phase 5 before the festive rush and accompanying traffic volumes.
“The annual contractors have also been contracted to relocate all the municipal services from the middle of Fleet Street to the sidewalks, starting from Fitzpatrick Road to Pontoon Road,” Matebese said.
Deep trenches have been dug in the pavement along the road, with mounds of sand in piles next to them.
A portion of the left outbound traffic lane next to the traffic department was closed when the Daily Dispatch visited the site yesterday, with motorists being diverted to the second lane.
Both motorists and pedestrians alike complained about the dust, noise and limited walking space along the pavements.
Motorist Siyakha Radebe said the delayed upgrades were a danger as, in an effort to avoid the workers along the pavements, pedestrians walked in the road.
Pedestrian Nwabisa Ntuku said sand blew in their faces on windy days.
“I wish they would finish with this road already because many of us have no choice but to walk down here to get to town every day.” —