Dusty roads and the flooding of streets during heavy rains will soon be a thing of the past for the residents of Soshanguve and Mabopane, as quality tar roads are being constructed in the area.
The residents have recently witnessed a tremendous road development programme bearing fruit, while other roads were upgraded to allow easy use not only for motorists, but also for pedestrians.
Flooding will also no longer be a problem for residents of Mabopane, Block X following the upgrading of 4,3km of road and 4km of storm water pipe systems.
At an event that was hosted at Block BB near the Mabopane train station, the minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, accompanied by the executive mayor of Tshwane, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, officially opened three completed roads.
According to Ramokgopa, every street in Tshwane would be tarred and upgraded with storm water systems by the end of the 2016 financial year.
The mayor spoke to the residents after opening over 10km of road in different areas of Region 1, which, among others, incorporate Mabopane and Soshanguve.
As part of the October Transport Month campaign, the mayor and the minister officially opened the completed, upgraded roads and storm water systems in Mabopane, blocks B and X and Soshanguve, Block WW.
According to the mayor, the official opening, under the theme ‘Celebrating 20 years of delivering efficient, reliable and safe transport services’ was in line with the metro’s commitment to improve the lives of Tshwane communities through infrastructure development.
“The city aims to transform Tshwane by 2055 by providing affordable and accessible public transport for all its residents. To achieve this goal, the metro is making an enormous investment by upgrading the quality of its roads and storm water systems,” said Ramokgopa.
The minister stated that the government was always providing quality roads and infrastructure.
“We are not willing to compromise the quality of roads and infrastructure. The roads of the future should be built to last, to save time and also to save money,” she said.
In the region, the government spent over R25m on the construction of the internal roads. In Mabopane, Block B, the city completed an upgrade of internal roads and storm water infrastructure at a cost of R19 252 566,91.
The project started in 2012 and was completed on 30 September 2013.
In Soshanguve Block WW the city upgraded 3km of road and 3,1km of storm water systems at a cost of R17,371,607.12. The metro also stated that employment was created for local residents during the construction process.
noweto@rekord.co.za
