Highway headway on John Ross
The section of highway from Oilco to the N2 should be tarred and ready for traffic by the weekend
IF the weather holds out, motorists on the John Ross Parkway driving eastbound out of Empangeni towards the N2 will be travelling on the new carriageway by next week.
Speaking on Tuesday at the bi-monthly Project Liaison Committee meeting, construction engineer Drew Wilson of RHDHV said barring rain delays, tarring of the section between Oilco and the N2 would be completed before the work shutdown.
Westbound traffic from the N2 to the Rail would still travel on the old road.
‘When we return in January we have eight months to complete the entire section from the N2 to the Rail, including building the second bridge – a major challenge with lots still to do but we are determined to stay on track.
‘We do have the funding in place, the piers and abutments are complete, 21 of the 27 pre-cast beams have been constructed and piling will start on 6 January.
‘Rehabilitation of the westbound carriageway will also begin and expected completion date of the entire project is 27 August 2014.’
With 20 of the 28-month Empangeni Rail section contract completed, expenditure to date is R66-million (55%), with 89 job opportunities provided on the Expanded Public Works Programe (79 males, 10 females, 64 youth).
So far, R3 179 778 has been spent on local wages, about R1.9m of this in 2013.
*Any construction-related incidents during the shutdown (12 Dec to 13 Jan) can be reported to Traffic Safety Officer Dean Schoeman on 084 8084099 or Richards Bay Fire and Rescue services on 035 9075723.
