Ermelo bypass a reality
According to SANRAL, the Ring Road will bring significant long-term relief for Ermelo residents.
In a press release issued by SANRAL last week they confirmed that construction plans for the Ermelo Ring Road are on track.
This follows an exhaustive environmental impact study and consultation with property owners and other stakeholders that will be affected.
According to SANRAL, the Ring Road will bring significant long-term relief for Ermelo residents who have been concerned about road safety and the presence of heavy-duty vehicles in the middle of the commercial and residential cores of the town. Ismail Essa, SANRAL’s Northern Region Manager, said the 30-day period in which interested parties could lodge appeals ended on 7 December after the publication of the revised Environmental Impact Assessment Report on 18 November.
Professional evaluators have also started to hold a series of meetings with land owners in the areas that will be impacted by the Ermelo Ring Road.
Some of these meetings took place on 6 December and formed part of the normal consultation processes before the intended land acquisition and is done to minimise the impact of the intended road construction on properties.
“There are no ‘closed’ or ‘secret’ meetings taking place,” was Essa’s response to rumours circulating in town. He also made it clear that properties to the north of Pet Street in Ermelo would not be affected by the Ring Road Construction.
“All the decisions we took form part of the public record and the information is freely available from the Department of Environmental Affairs that can be contacted at 012 399 9356. The technical team is busy preparing land acquisition diagrams for all possible affected properties to indicate the refined route and design.” said Essa.
He also stated that a final decision on the route was taken after a comprehensive environmental assessment and the consideration of at least four alternatives and that the designers had to take into account.
Factors such as old coal mines in the area and the possible existence of underground cavities.
A number of specialist studies were also conducted to assess the socio-economic, micro- and macro-economic impacts of the road and its influence on future traffic patterns.
SANRAL also undertook a public participation process and consulted widely with the Msukaligwa Local Municipality.
“We are looking forward to starting with construction in 2018/19 and we are convinced that the Ring Road will bring major benefits to residents of Ermelo, improve road safety and consequently the quality of life for the town’s residents in the area and benefit the regional economy,” said Essa.
