Limpopo DA concerned about state of R37
The road has been neglected and its concrete barriers are badly damaged.
SEKHUKHUNE – The Limpopo DA has called on the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) to urgently address the poor state of the R37 at Chuenespoort.
The road has been neglected and its concrete barriers are badly damaged.
“The DA has since 2018 constantly raised this issue with both Sanral and the Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL), however, despite numerous attempts and engagements, it still has not been addressed.
“These concrete barriers are vital in ensuring road safety by redirecting errant vehicles back into the roadway
and preventing them from hitting roadside obstacles or veering off the mountain pass.
“The current state of the R37 and the failure to fix it, present an immediate and serious safety risk to the motorists who use it,” said the DA’s Katlego Phala.
She said the Limpopo provincial government has failed and continues to have great challenges in maintaining the province’s roads.
“This has come at great economic cost and is a detriment to the province’s economic development.”
In 2019 there were already claims of R118m against the Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, as well as its entity, the RAL. These claims were largely for damage caused by potholes.
The party believes that Sanral and the RAL need to vastly improve in their delivery of decent road infrastructure for the province.
Sanral’s operations and maintenance manager, Madoda Mthembu, said it has a project in place that is still under design and it is planning to repair the entire stretch of the road.
“In the meantime, we will fix the barriers that are damaged.”
