R90m Cullinan Road maintenance project launched after over two-year delays
“It [project procurement] was caught up in instances where government offices were closed due to disruptions of Covid-19. We are now back on track and our supply chain is doing well now.”
A R90-million road maintenance project in Cullinan has finally kicked off, following two years of delays due to procurement hurdles.
The maintenance will be undertaken on a 27.8km road stretch between provincial road D713 Cullinan and D483 in Bapsfontein, Ekurhuleni.
The Gauteng Public Transport and Road Infrastructure MEC, Jacob Mamabolo launched the (D713) Cullinan Road rehabilitation project in the east of Pretoria, last week.
Mamabolo said the delays were due to procurement processes issues the department faced during Covid-19. The department advertised the tender for the project in December 2019 and applications closed in January 2020.
“The procurement for this project happened under very difficult conditions.
“It [project procurement] was caught up in instances where government offices were closed due to disruptions of Covid-19. We are now back on track and our supply chain is doing well now.”
Mamabolo was adamant that the project would need to be completed on time by the contractors without any budget changes. The estimated date for completion is August of this year.
“We have made it very clear to them that we will not accept any shift on the agreed-upon timeline, costs and quality standards. Those three things are non-negotiable,” he said.
He said to ensure that the transport infrastructure compliance officials would closely monitor the project’s progress.
“This office [transport infrastructure compliance] will help us to ensure that we crack the whip on dodgy contracts that deliver poor performance. We will not allow any sloppiness on our projects anymore.”
The monitoring tool would be used to exercise oversight of all projects by the department.
Contractors that fail to adhere to this would face penalties, which include removing contractors from the project and replacing them with another and blacklisting poor performance with the department.
“The government will unleash its full might to any contractors that treat us with contempt,” he said.
Mamabolo said the Cullinan project was essential not only for quality road maintenance but also for the creation of jobs.
“I visited the site, I saw that there were a lot of young people and women employed there. That is what we need, we need to create jobs for the youth.”
He said the Cullinan Road was important and strategic for economic development, “we need that road to be built to the highest standard because it is also used by trucks”.
“The road links Ekurhuleni, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and major high capacity roads.”
During the project, there would be a partial closure of the road in the form of a stop-and-go.
According to the department, the project includes improving pavement structure, repairs of gravel shoulders, cutting and shaping of side and open drains, removal of silt from existing culverts, installation of four new culverts under Road D483 as well as nine new culverts under access roads.
The department said it would be undertaking several road projects including upgrading Road K101 (Phase 1) from the N1 Rooihuiskraal Interchange to Olifantsfontein Road in Midrand; and upgrading the R82 (Phase 3) between Walkerville and De Deur.
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