Another Gauteng road project completed ahead of schedule
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi officially opened the rehabilitated R51 road between Vereeniging and Balfour on Monday, 11 June 2018. The project was completed three months ahead of schedule.
This follows the official opening of R90 million Bronkhorstspruit road project in April, which was completed eight months ahead of schedule.
The R51 road project - undertaken at a cost of R48 million – entailed the rehabilitation of the route from Vereeniging to Balfour.
Main priorities for the road project included extending the lifespan of the road by a further 20 years as well as improving motorists’ safety.
Furthermore, the rehabilitated route will be able to carry traffic at adequate speeds whilst also enhancing road safety over the long term.
“Our ability to complete yet another road project ahead of schedule demonstrates our department’s commitment to adhering to set timetables, delivering quality projects and within allocated budgets,” Vadi said.
The decision to rehabilitate the road was undertaken after the Department did a routine inspection and concluded that the design life of the pavement structure has exceeded its traffic loading capacity for which it was designed.
The inspection indicated that the pavement structure had limited load bearing capacity left at the time.
MEC explained that the R51 road had degraded over the years due to increased use by heavy-duty trucks from surrounding areas.
He added that “this multi-million rand investment is an indication that the Gauteng Provincial Government is committed to providing world-class road infrastructure, thus contributing to social and economic development”.
The scope of work included recycling existing base and sub-base; reconstructing existing gravel shoulder; asphalt surfacing; undertaking drainage improvements; repairs or replacements of ancillary elements and attending to the road reserve.
Community empowerment during the project included provision of training opportunities, skills development and sub-contracting of thirty percent of the work to local small and emerging enterprises.
For more information, contact:
Melitah Madiba
Cell: 073 644 9935
E-mail: PressOffice.gpdrt@gauteng.gov.za
