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Ongoing flood damage repairs along the R61 between Mthatha and Port St Johns

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The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) in the Southern Region (Eastern Cape) has completed various upgrades to the provincial network, and this will ensure a smoother and safer ride for roads users during the holiday season.

These include the R58 between Maletswai (formerly Aliwal North) and Lady Grey and the R58 from Lady Grey to Barkly East, both within the Joe Gqabi District Municipality as well as the R56 from Middelburg to Molteno which affects both the Joe Gqabi and the Chris Hani district municipalities.

Upgrades to a section of one of the province’s busiest routes, the R61, were completed with the section between Baziya and the Mthatha Airport in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality completed in October.

The improvement of the R63 from Fort Beaufort to Alice in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality and the R67 between Komani (formerly Queenstown) and Whittlesea in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality were also completed.

However, despite the various sections of the network that have been upgraded to SANRAL’s standards, the roads agency continues to intensify efforts to improve the condition of the provincial network to be much safer for all road users.

“The Eastern Cape is said to be a construction site because of the many construction contracts being undertaken.

Notwithstanding that, the province’s national road network condition varies from fair, good to very good. However, in some places, it can be described as bad, especially those roads that were transferred to SANRAL in 2022. SANRAL took over some provincial routes that were in a very bad condition and promptly attended to bringing them to a drivable state,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Southern Region Manager.

“By and large, the national road network will be open to traffic. However, sections of the province’s two major routes – the R61 and N2 – will be impacted due to ongoing roadworks,” said Peterson.

Peterson cautioned motorists of ongoing roadworks to the flood-damaged road infrastructure at three sites along the R61 outside Mthatha towards Port St Johns. Ongoing roadworks along the Kei Cuttings on the N2 will have an impact on traffic flow due to a one-lane closure. However, it is expected that there will be no lane closures during the builders’ shutdown.

Traffic deviation at the N2 Ndabakazi Interchange construction site near Butterworth will slow down traffic flow and similarly, the N2 between KwaBhaca (Mount Frere) and Ngcweleni River towards Kokstad where a one-way system being used in the CBD will slow down traffic flow. The N2 from Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) to Fish River, and further up between the Green River and Buffalo River near Qonce (formerly King William’s Town) is also undergoing upgrades.

Construction of the Breidbach and Belstone Interchanges along the N2 towards East London will have an impact on traffic flow due to a one-lane closure.

Peterson said that apart from the roadworks along sections of the N2 and R61, the SANRAL network would be open to road users during the festive season.

The R411 between Viedgesville and Coffee Bay received emergency pothole repairs by SANRAL this year and although the emergency repairs to the three flood-damaged bridges is 80% complete, motorists will be able to access Coffee Bay as the Nenga Bridge will be open to traffic from 15 December 2023.

Shutdown of road construction works for the festive season will take place from 14 December and will end on 7 January 2024.

“Contractors will be back at work on Monday, 8 January 2024. Hopefully we will not experience any severe rain damage to our network over the festive season,” said Peterson, adding that SANRAL’s skeletal staff would be on standby during the holidays in case of any emergencies that might arise on its roads.

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