Street names get a makeover

JOBURG’S Region A is set for an uplift by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

A portion of the R24 million to be spent in the current financial year will be spent on repainting faded street names.

JRA’s acting managing director Mpho Kau said the agency had a responsibility to ensure residents found their way around their neighbourhoods.

“Many of the street names in our areas are not visibly displayed. That is why we are painting or repainting the street names on the kerbing where necessary,” Kau said.

Some of the areas set to benefit in the 2015-16 financial year are Rabie Ridge, Ebony, Ivory Park and Kaalfontein.

Region A includes urban centres such as Dainfern, Farmall and Chartwell and informal settlements, with robust commercial activity located around the Lanseria and Grand Central airports, and in the Midrand CBD.

Kau said the entity would invest at least R41m of its capital expenditure budget in the current financial year in road reconstruction projects in highly populated areas as well as gravel roads.

Some of the approved projects include:

Improvement of the general state of roads in Diepsloot’s wards 77 and 95 for R6m.

Road reconstruction in Ivory Park for R15m.

The conversion of open stormwater channels into underground systems in Ivory Park for R10m.

Erosion protection in the Fourways area.

Upgrading of gravel roads and stormwater drainage systems in Kaalfontein for R3m.

Pedestrian bridges in Ivory Park and Diepsloot for R1m each.

Locals will be employed as workers and sub-contractors.

The JRA will also be continuing work on the R10m threeyear maintenance and the rehabilitation of Le Roux Avenue widening in Ward 112.

Phase 1 has been completed with the construction of the bridge over the N1 and on the R5, the gravel roads reconstruction programme in agricultural holdings, which was launched last year and is 43 percent complete. The agency also plans to finalise the R25m roads reconstruction and rehabilitation programme, currently 85 percent complete, and the comprehensive roads resurfacing programme in 12 wards.

Kau has urged members of the public to be patient during construction.