MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Good progress is being made with a Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) project to upgrade the MR344 (R102) between Hartenbos and Great Brak River, as well as the DR1578 between Tergniet and Wolwedans, says Department of Transport and Public Works communications officer Byron la Hoe in a press release.
This R182 million project started in January 2018 and is expected to be completed by mid-2020.
Construction activities are being undertaken simultaneously in a number of areas, with stop/go controls to manage the flow of traffic.
Impact of winter
Because no sealing is permitted during the rainy period between April and July, work on certain parts of this project will be halted at the end of March 2019 and resume at the beginning of August 2019.
R102 Monte Christo to Riverside
The half-width section from Monte Christo to Swan's Nursery is currently under construction with stop/go controls to manage the flow of traffic. Construction on this section will be completed by mid-March 2019.
Little Brak River bridge
Remedial works on the Little Brak River Bridge and its approach road will be completed by mid-June 2019, after which the R102 from Monte Christo to Riverside will be open to two-way traffic.
Riverside
The R102 through Riverside is currently open to two-way traffic while kerbs and channels are being installed.
Once these installations are complete, traffic will be disrupted for about three days while the final asphalt is being laid.
R102 Riverside to the N2 intersection
The R102 between the new culvert at Riverside and the intersection at the N2 is under construction in half-widths with stop/go controls where necessary.
Work on the first half of this section will be completed by the end of March 2019, and the road will be open to two-way traffic until the end of July 2019.
Between the beginning of August and December 2019, the second half will be constructed with stop/go controls as necessary.
R102 Impala Road intersection at Fraaiuitsig
A short section of the R102 including the Impala Road intersection at Fraaiuitsig is currently being constructed in half-widths with stop/go controls.
The first half of this section will be completed by the end of March 2019 and the road will be open to two-way traffic until the end of July 2019.
Between the beginning of August and December 2019, the second half will be constructed with stop/go controls where necessary.
R102 Fraaiuitsig to Tergniet
Delays related to the delivery of material for the final layer have been resolved, and this section of road will be opened at the end of March 2019.
DR1578 Impala Road intersection to the bridge over the N2
Construction of the first half of this section will be completed by the end of March 2019 and the road will be opened to two-way traffic until the end of July 2019. Between the beginning of August and December 2019, the second half will be constructed with stop/go controls where necessary.
The impact on road users is that there will be two stop/go points between De Dekke and Tergniet. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable as any delay here will mean the contract cannot be completed by the due date.
R102 De Dekke to Tergniet
Because this section of road will be completely re-aligned to remove unsafe vertical inclines and declines, a lot of earthworks have to be done.
This section of road will remain under stop/go traffic management until works are complete in March 2020, but will be fully open to traffic over the 2019/20 year-end break.
New traffic circle at De Dekke
Construction of the kerbing and the final asphalt layer of the De Dekke traffic circle will take place from March to May 2019. There will be temporary stop/go controls from time to time, but traffic disruption will be minimal.
DR1578 N2 Bridge to Freimersheim Road
Major earthworks are taking place on this section of road to reduce its steep inclines and declines.
Traffic on this section will be managed by stop/go controls until work is completed in March 2020 but will be fully open to traffic over the 2019/20 year-end break.
The project team apologises for the unavoidable inconvenience that these roadworks cause. The end result will be a safer and smoother travelling experience. Road users are requested to adhere to all traffic management measures to ensure their own safety and the safety of the construction teams.
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