Route to the stars paves way for Carnarvon’s project
WHERE there was nothing but gravel before, an 80km stretch of tar road to ease travel for both the local and international scientific community was opened at the weekend, linking Carnarvon in the Northern Cape to the site of the MeerKAT radio telescope.
The MeerKAT telescope is the South African portion of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
At a cost of R200 million, it brought much-needed infrastructure to the rural town of Carnarvon and gave locals job opportunities in the building of the road.
Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor, who presided over the event, members of the Carnarvon community, and Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas cut a ribbon running across the road to celebrate its opening.
Pandor said: “This will be a very important route for world researchers so we have to ensure we have appropriate infrastructure.
“The road will be a much-travelled road and you have to ensure people can travel it safely.”
Before the construction of the road, it was a long, bumpy ride.
“Infrastructure has been a major problem for rural communities, our support is significant in illustrating that we as national and provincial government can collaborate to change that. Surrounding towns will also be beneficiaries of this infrastructure.”
She added SKA would place Africa on the global scientific map, with 500 research groups from 45 countries already expressing an interest.