UMHLANGA ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, has urged residents to find alternative routes rather than using Umhlanga Rocks Drive after a change in the resurfacing project. The change in plan was made by the eThekwini Municipality on Wednesday morning and means construction on Umhlanga Rocks Drive has started near Addison Drive and will continue southwards to Kenneth Kaunda (Northway). A stop-and-go system has been put in place, which will place added strain on the busy road.

“I’m told this change was due to logistics. However, the engineer has now informed me that the resurfacing will continue through the day, which is going to lead to major chaos on the road. I’m urging residents to use alternative routes to avoid massive traffic backlogs. The fact that the schools are off is a pro, however this may go on for more than a week,” he said.

Last week, the municipality said it would resurface 600 metres of the busy road at the intersection of Umhlanga Rocks Drive and Kenneth Kaunda (Northway), extending as far as Sandra Place.

Once work is completed on the busy road, resurfacing will continue on Armstrong Avenue. At a human settlements and infrastructure committee meeting in February, the city took the decision to upgrade the roads in and around uMhlanga, Prestondale and Cornubia. The first of the changes will see Umhlanga Rocks Drive being upgraded to six lanes.