Update
GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Paul Laubscher, the Resident Engineer representing Kantey & Templer Consulting Engineers, says the R102 road contract from Great Brak River Bridge to the Monte Christo intersection near Hartenbos is progressing well and is on track.
The project, funded by the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, requires a full reconstruction due to progressive structural failure that has taken place over many years.
The contract will also include a new traffic circle at the intersection of Long Street and the R102 at Great Brak River.
The section of the R102 through Riverside will be reconstructed to municipal standards, with paved walkways, parallel parking and new street lighting.
The stormwater system through Riverside will also be upgraded to more effectively drain this low lying area. "The full reconstruction of the R102 has also given the design team the opportunity to re-align the road to improve line of sight and general safety requirements," says Laubscher.
Roads open during holiday
The gravel road from the Tergniet intersection on the R102 up to the Friemersheim road intersection will also be reconstructed and surfaced.
This work will commence in mid-June.
"This will bring significant relief to the industrial sectors along this road as well as the journey to the municipal dump site." Laubscher describes the contract as complex, with specific timeframes scheduled for various sections of the roads.
"This is required due to enforced time constraints when the final surfacing can take place. Due to weather, moisture and temperatures, surfacing can only take place during the summer months from 30 September to 15 March."
Also, a requirement of the contract is that all roads must be open to the public over the year-end holiday period. "It places a lot of pressure on the contractor to plan the work meticulously and ensure he maintains progress as per the contact programme."
Seven access points
Discussions with the Mossel Bay Municipality have allowed Charles Keen, Blesbok and Impala roads to be used as an alternative route and therefore the contractor could close off and construct the R102 at full width between Tergniet and Little Brak River.
Laubscher says this will halve the required construction time and this section of road will be completed by mid-December. "The alternative route is, however, only for light vehicles and all heavy vehicles must avoid using this route. He says discussions have been held with the various industries along the Sandhoogte Road and they have agreed to adhere to this request.
Reconstruction work in progress on the R102 between Great Brak River and Little Brak River.
"One of the unfortunate circumstances of road construction is that stop and go control management of traffic cannot be avoided. This is an inconvenience to the local public and the road users and can lead to frustration," says Laubscher.
The personnel at the Long Street and R102 intersection currently have to control seven access points.
All personnel managing the control points were recruited locally and have been employed by a professional traffic management subcontractor. They received in-house training and to date have performed very well under extreme pressure, says Laubscher.
Stop and go
"As with all stop/go control points there will be some co-ordination issues and we ask the road users to be patient and use these sections of road with extreme caution.
"There have been reports of motorists ignoring the traffic signals and driving into the oncoming traffic. These perpetrators will be prosecuted as they are endangering the lives of other road users."
Laubscher says that the delay at the Long Street intersection stop/go point is about seven minutes and urges the road users and public to consider what the benefits of the new road system will be to the whole community when completed.
"The client and the project team thank the local residents and road users for their patience and co-operation to date.
"The contracting team are receiving words of encouragement and any positive criticism or advice will be attended to without delay. Communication with all interested and affected parties will continue throughout the contract period by means of flyers, radio announcements, social media, newspaper articles and emails," says Laubscher.
Read a previous article: Reconstruction of R102 commences in March
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