The high-speed mobility route will bypass several settlements and towns like Rocky Drift and Maggiesdal and essentially connect the R538 at the Casterbridge traffic circle with the Mbombela/Mashishing roundabout at Riverside in Mbombela. The bone of contention for White River residents is that it will cut through wetlands and essentially divide the town in half.
The meeting was arranged by engineering consulting firm Royal Haskoning DHV, who are handling the project on behalf of the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral).
The aim was to provide community members with information on the environmental-impact assessment (EIA) that was conducted, to get the input of stakeholders and to record their comments as part of their report.
According to representatives of Royal Haskoning, the road is needed due to the rapid increase in traffic on the R40 and will fulfill the need for a supporting route where motorists can travel faster. This will reportedly also alleviate the gridlocks that commuters face between the various towns on the R40.
The EIA process takes about three years and the developer told community that they hope to submit the final report to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) by the end of the year.
Due to the various stakeholders’ opposition to the road, the White River North alternative was proposed. Royal Haskoning representatives cited that this alternative is preferred due to environmental reasons. The P166 route will have significant impact on wetlands, which are home to red data fauna and flora, like the Aloe Simii and would result in disasterous habitat loss. They will also have to move several households in informal settlements and potentially destroy areas of intensive agricultural practises. The P166 is, however, technically preferred as it connects directly to the R538.
Royal Haskoning told community members that a lot of mitigation measures would be needed if the P166 original road was chosen.
This would include putting 200-metre buffers around protected plant species and noise barriers for the stretch of road through town to decrease noise pollution for households.
Consultation with the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Association and the DEA are underway regarding mitigation measures for fauna and flora.
Residents were informed that the meeting is part of the 40 days public participation process and that their various comments would be recorded as part of the report.
Community members’ questions included queries on the protection of the wetlands, fauna and flora, how community members will be shielded from the road and how people whose property will be affected be compensated.
Comments and suggestions can be sent to paul.dacruz@rhdhv.com or johan.blignaut@rhdhv.com. They can also be emailed for reports or other information on the project.
See an environmental impact assessment and environmental management report here.
