Work on Marine Drive nears completion
Raubex said the section from the Uvongo Spar to the Seaslopes robots will be completed in mid-May.
Although construction company Raubex has assured residents that the rehabilitation of Marine Drive between Uvongo and Manaba will be completed before the end of May, residents and business owners are unhappy.
This was made clear during a Ward 19 roadwork public meeting at the Uvongo Town Hall recently.
The meeting was attended by Raubex representatives, Ray Nkonyeni Municipality Law Enforcement, and Uvongo residents.
According to the construction company, the section from the Uvongo Spar to the Seaslopes robots will be completed in mid-May.
It added that work from St Michaels to Izotsha Road will be completed at the end of May.
Raubex said by September it will be done with the work it has been contracted to do on the South Coast.
However, residents and businesses on Marine Drive in Uvongo shared why the construction is sometimes a nightmare.
One resident said that it was draining to wait more than 50 minutes at a stop-and-go near the St Mike’s bridge.
The lack of traffic controllers at night also bothered Uvongo residents.
Residents also suggested that law enforcement officers be deployed at certain intersections on Marine Drive so that they can deal with drivers who break the rules of the road.
These residents also questioned the training of traffic controllers.
“It seems as if Raubex is working all over the place and that is causing traffic jams. Why don’t they start with one piece, finish off and go on to the next portion? Then traffic control will be made easier,” said a resident.
Pieter Sassenberg of Raubex told residents that they do not have traffic controllers who work at night because they do not have the money to pay them.
He said overall traffic control costs the company R3 million per month.
“The client does not have the money, that’s why there are no controllers at night. We are relying on motorists at night to read the road signs and wait until they see a flow of traffic. There is not much traffic at night, so there should be no head-on collisions if people follow the rules. Cars coming in from different directions are a problem. People ignore the rules of the road, so we are hoping law enforcement can help us with that.” he said, adding that they will look into other issues raised by residents.
Meanwhile, Sfiso Ngcaku, Superintendent at Ray Nkonyeni Municipality’s Law Enforcement, said they share the same frustrations as Uvongo residents.
He said although they do not have enough manpower and resources to manage these intersections, they will look into it. He added that it was important for Uvongo residents to acknowledge the good and speedy work being done by Raubex while also trying to be patient with the construction company.
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