By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga conducted a site inspection of the bridge under construction along the R573 Moloto Road in the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality.
In 2019, the National Treasury allocated about R21.5 billion per year for the maintenance and improvement of Sanral’s 19 262km non-toll network.
Municipalities in Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo were significant beneficiaries of the R40bn two- to three-year nationwide construction programme announced by Sanral.
According to the roads agency, the local investment went towards the upgrading of Moloto Road (R573), which runs from Gauteng through Mpumalanga to Limpopo and was part of a rehabilitation programme for the road.
Reckless driving, particularly dangerous overtaking, the layout of the road, as well as the volume of traffic have been pointed out as contributing factors to the high rate of deadly crashes on the road.
Some of the interventions of the project are to widen the road into two lanes, erection of concrete barriers separating the opposing lanes to prevent overtaking and conversion of intersections into roundabouts to ease traffic flow.
The issue of poor visibility attributed to the high number of pedestrians hit on the road has also been a major issue, and the erection of high mast lights on the road is expected to tackle this problem.
“The anticipated completion date of construction for this phase is June 2024. In Limpopo, Work Package A2 is currently underway, and it is 95% complete. The anticipated completion date of construction is February 2024. In Gauteng, SANRAL is on the verge of appointing a contractor to start with works on this section of the project in 2024,” the Minister said.
SANRAL has invested R4.5billion in this project over five years.
“About 12 500 jobs are expected to be created throughout the project duration. In line with SANRAL’s Transformation Policy, the inclusion of youth- and women-owned businesses will be prioritised.
“Furthermore, the roads agency has launched a programme to empower Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), headed by people with disabilities, to form part of the construction of Moloto Road.
“Nearly R130 million has also been earmarked to train prospective contractors from designated groups, to get them to the point where they are able to submit compliant, competitive and profitable tenders for such projects,” Chikunga said.
SANRAL has introduced several additional safety interventions on the R573 to minimise crashes, paying particular attention to pedestrian safety.
“So far, we have worked on the Moloto Road in Mpumalanga and Limpopo and we hope to begin work in Gauteng this year. The spend to date is R559 million on upgrading of national road R573, Section 2, Thembisile Hani Local Municipality, Mpumalanga; and R362.8 million on upgrading of national road R573, Section 3, from Slovo to Siyabuswa, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality,” the Minister said.