R352 million road rehabilitation project nearing completion.

The R352 million Department of Transport and Public Works project to rehabilitate the R399 between Piketberg and Velddrif is progressing well and is in the final stages of construction.

This 56 km project began in November 2014 and is currently scheduled for completion towards the end of June 2017. A total of 78% of the contract works have been completed. It is estimated that up to 1 900 vehicles use this road every day, and will benefit from this newly rehabilitated road.

Ten road sections (a total of 40 km of road) have been completed thus far. Both the upgrading of the Velddrif intersection (R27/R399) plus the bridge-widening work on the Boesmans River Bridge have been completed to a high standard, which has become the hallmark of all of our roads construction projects. The widening of the Platkloof River Bridge has commenced and is due to be completed by the end of May 2017.

A 24-hour stop/ go closure operation is in place at each of the four sections of road currently under construction. Motorists can expect the average journey between Velddrif and Piketberg to take up to 40 minutes longer. Work on the Piketberg intersection located at the Northern end of MR529 has commenced with minimal impact on the road users and is expected to be completed after a very short period.

The Department has also included the rehabilitation of 2,7 km of MR527 from MR529 (the Piketberg intersection described above) to MR531. Improvements to this section of MR527 will be the widening of the existing road coupled with a new surfacing. Work in this regard has commenced in January 2017 and will be completed in June 2017.

Contract expenditure on targeted enterprises currently stands at R46,1 million and a total of 149 019 person-days of work have been created for people from the Berg River municipal area. Both the expenditure and job creation achieved have far exceeded the minimum targets set by the Department.

The economic impact of this project on the region and surrounding communities cannot be overstated. Surrounding businesses will reap the rewards of this investment for years to come.

Road infrastructure is an important factor for the productivity, safety, and future development of this country, and the Western Cape in particular. This importance is demonstrated in areas where they are in a poor condition. The adverse impact on economic activity and general safety can be clearly seen. For these reasons, we will continue to do our part to plan, construct, rehabilitate and maintain the provincial road network, as a valued and strategic asset of this government.

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