R1.5bn for roads upgrade
two weeks ago.
The agency’s southern regional manager, Simpiwe Peterson, confirmed that the plan is to spend R1.5-billion to resurface the ailing KWT-Bhisho-Komga corridor, with phase one of the complete overhaul of the R63 expected to start at the beginning of 2019. Construction work on the R63 between King William’s Town and Bhisho is almost complete. “We are currently working on the designs for the R63 between Bhisho and Komga. The road is approximately 67km long and it is expected that the current road will be upgraded to a width of 13.4m.”
The project will be carried out in three phases with each phase estimated to take 30 months.
Phase one will be between Bhisho and the N6 intersection. Phases two and three are between the N6 intersection to Komga and onto the N2 intersection.
“The capacity of the bridges along the entire route is being assessed.
“A decision to retain or upgrade these bridges will be made once the full assessment is complete,” Sanral announced yesterday.
The announcement comes in the wake of yet another in the area.
The Daily Dispatch has reported extensively on provincial government’s plan to build an office park in Bhisho to house all provincial government departments. Currently, thousands of Bhisho workers are scattered around King William’s Town and East London, using buildings which are privately owned – costing government millions of rands in leases a year.
Peterson said the King William’s Town bypass will be a new ball game altogether. “It is actually a ring road intended to alleviate congestion in the King Williams Town CBD,” he said.
Sanral is to run the bypass as a separate project from the KWTBhishocorridor.
“This road will allow traffic on the N2 to travel around KWT without the need to pass through the town.
“This is generally traffic travelling on the N2 between Port Elizabeth and East London,” said Peterson.
He said as part of a plan to make the bypass project a reality, Sanral was focusing on the planning and preliminary design requirements.
“Detailed design and construction is major development only expected to commence 2030,” Peterson revealed.
“[The] portion of the R63 is not a bypass. It is important to upgrade this link as the current road is in a poor state, and needs improvement to ensure that motorists can travel safely on the road,” he added.
BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya confirmed their involvement in the road network upgrade through an existing memorandum of understanding with Sanral.
Ngwenya said the King Town bypass would assist traffic congestion.
“This is in line with the metro growth and development plan, which seeks to position us as a well-connected city in terms of the roads corridor network.
“We want to be accessible both for domestic use, which includes local tourism, and for investment opportunities, which include the movement of goods,” Ngwenya said.
“This is why we are also supplementing every plan that the national government is implementing in the city in terms of infrastructure development through our own development initiatives.” — around William’s in alleviating