MBOMBELA – The widening of the R40 to Barberton is going swimmingly and everything is on track, but motorists are advised to also stay on track and not speed through the construction area.
The R40 from Geelhout Avenue to the Brinkspruit River bridge is being widened, with an additional lane added to each carriageway.
The whole section used to be an 80km/h zone but the speed limit is now 40km/h. However, Mr Lammie Oosthuizen of Royal Haskoning DHV, engineers on the project, says motorists are not adhering to the limit at all.
Earlier this week a vehicle had a close brush with a signboard at the side of the road when it approached the red traffic light at TUT too fast. The driver swerved off the road, but luckily the incident occurred on a section where there is a slightly larger gap between the carriageway and shoulder, than further on.
Oosthuizen says the staff had requested them to call on the public to drive safely. Heavy, slow construction vehicles also routinely cross the road.
“A car hasn’t hit a worker – yet.”
Safety employee Ms Magdeline Mathebula says they are afraid of the speeding cars. She is tasked with waving a warning flag to motorists and stands next to the road to be visible, putting her very close to the traffic. “We sometimes fear for our safety, as cars travel at speeds of up to 100km/h.”
Mr Steven Shormann, Mbombela councillor and R40 committee member, says the staff members have no protection, making them vulnerable. Moreover the section is difficult to police because at present the road is too narrow. The committee is thus calling on restless drivers to keep calm and heed the workers.
Mbombela Local Municipality is assisting the construction team during rock blasting by closing the road for safety purposes. This has been effective, with the road rarely being closed to traffic for more than half an hour at a time. The committee plans to request more assistance with speed control.
