Lutzville - Vredendal Road Example of Effective Public Private Partnership | Western Cape Government

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Lutzville - Vredendal Road Example of Effective Public Private Partnership

18 April 2013

Robin Carlisle, Minister of Transport and Public Works and the Department of Transport and Public Works yesterday officially opened the Main Road 552 between Vredendal and Lutzville on the West Coast. The road was a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with mining company Tronox.

The company and the Province entered into this PPP agreement for the upgrade of six kilometres of gravel road on Main Road 552, with Tronox providing the road building materials for the project.

“The project saw the drawing together of resources between the government and the private sector for the economic benefit of the West Coast region.

“Tronox has shown how pivotal a role the private sector can play in infrastructure development, not only to meet their own economic needs, but also those of a region,” said Minister Carlisle.

Work on the project started on 2 July 2012, and through construction delays (delay in the provision of bitumen) and the bad weather (flash flood in early December caused the river to overflow, resulting in minimal damage to the new road), the road was opened to traffic on 7 December 2012, five months after work began.

The work created 30 local job opportunities with an emphasis on skills development.

“I would like to commend all the parties involved for their cooperation and ensuring that the project was an expeditious success. We are pleased that the needs of the business and agricultural community in the area will now be met, and look forward to more fruitful partnerships with the private sector in the future,” added Minister Carlisle.

The project cost R18.7 million, while the Tronox bore R7.9 million of these costs.

Future projects will include a further investment by Tronox and the Department of Transport and Public Works to the upgrade of the intersection with Trunk Road, where the Main Road 552 joins in Vredendal.

Media Enquiries: 

Siphesihle Dube
Media Liaison Officer
Ministry of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 8954
Cell: 084 233 3811
E-mail: Siphesihle.Dube@westerncape.gov.za