Work longer hours on roadworks

FURTHER to the letter from Businessman dated September 3 (“Finish N2 work quickly”), I would like to comment as follows:

My usual trip to work on the N2 takes 15 minutes for the 15km journey. I leave around 8am to avoid the peak traffic now, but it still takes me on average an additional 45 to 50 minutes to pass the roadworks, entering from the Samantha Way on ramp (at Makro).

Traffic is backed up to the Cotswold bridge, sometimes further back.

If we take the volume of traffic passing the roadworks just in the morning rush hour period, which now extends to 8.30am and beyond, how much is this costing in additional fuel and wasted manpower hours daily?

I believe no work can be carried out during peak hour traffic, despite the fact that the entire roadworks are being carried out on the other side of the temporary concrete barriers. This leaves the contractor about six hours of productive work per day (weather permitting).

No wonder the entire project will take 18 months.

With the severe and constant disruption to traffic this contract should have had the stipulation that work proceeded on a 24/7 basis. The additional cost in the tender would be a drop in the ocean compared to the wasted manpower and fuel over the 18-month period and would result in a contract period of just 4.5 months.

I suppose that’s too logical for the powers that be.

Colin Murray, Port Elizabeth

Picture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN LONG DELAY: A long line of vehicles waits to move through the bottleneck, at the top left of the picture, caused by the roadworks on the N2 in Port Elizabeth’s western suburbs