Bay to spend R95m on tarring gravel roads in metro

IN a bid to tackle its massive gravel roads backlog, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will spend about R95-million on tarring roads around the city.

The money will be spent in the current financial year, with an additional R100-million expected to be set aside in 2018-19.

The municipality has so far tarred 203km out of 472km of gravel roads in townships since 2010.

The metro’s total gravel road backlog stands at 788km.

In a report to the transport committee last week, metro official Luthando Mabhoza said new housing developments meant the project would be continuous, as there were more roads in each new development.

“The initial project excluded new housing developments which continuously added to the gravel roads.

“The municipality has been reluctant to include these areas until the original scope of the old townships is completed,” Mabhoza wrote in his report.

The new housing developments continued to put pressure on the project, he said.

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said efforts were being made to catch up on the gravel roads backlog.

“The municipality has a rapid programme that is being divided into clusters – each cluster concentrates [on] the condition and feasibility of the roads in each ward and budget is allocated accordingly,” he said.

The metro wants to eradicate gravel roads as part of its aim of drawing economic development.