PLANS to replace and fix street lights on the N2/M41 Mount Edgecombe Interchange may take as long as four years to complete.

Last year, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) said that more than 80% of street lights on the interchange had been affected by vandalism and theft, and plans were in place to replace them.

A year later, however, and much of the interchange remains in darkness at night.

Zakhele Mthethwa, SANRAL’s Eastern Region project manager for electrical said the repairs to the lights will only be done during the widening of the N2 north from KwaMashu to uMdloti.

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“The Mount Edgecombe interchange is estimated to cost in the region of R50m only on electrical lighting replacements, with all the security features. This will only be done during the road-widening of the N2 north from KwaMashu to Umdloti interchange. The estimated time of completion is four years from now.

“There is a plan to replace street lights as they contribute to visibility and make the road safer. The replacement of all lighting will now incorporate security features we have developed internally, and this will assist in mitigating vandalism in the near future. The process is rather slow, but we are positive about the outcome,” Mthethwa said.

He added that the agency is concerned that thieves will continue stealing infrastructure from the interchange, including the light poles which could be sold as scrap.

“It is a great concern, and we are trying to speed up measures to mitigate that from continuing, as well as involving law enforcement to help address the problem,” he said.

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While SANRAL is responsible for the lighting on the interchange, security around the infrastructure is the responsibility of the eThekwini Municipality.