SANRAL
The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) in the Eastern Cape has completed various upgrades on the provincial roads to ensure smoother and safer travelling conditions for road users during the festive season.
It says workers and contractors will go on shutdown on Thursday and will be back at work on 8 January 2024.
Regional manager Mbulelo Peterson says they will have skeletal staff on standby in case of any emergencies that might arise on the road.
To plan your journey SANRAL gave an update on the various projects in the province that will resume next year.
Completed projects
R58 between Maletswai (formerly Aliwal North) and Lady Grey
R58 from Lady Grey to Barkly East
R56 from Middelburg to Molteno
R61 section between Baziya and Mthatha Airport
R63 from Fort Beaufort to Dikeni (formerly Alice)
R67 between Komani (formerly Queenstown) and Whittlesea
Peterson says the province's national road network condition varies from fair, good to very good but in some places, it can be described as bad, especially those roads that were transferred to SANRAL in 2022.
He says they took over some provincial routes that were in a very bad condition and promptly attended to bringing them to a drivable state but "by and large" the roads will be open for traffic.
Ongoing Roadworks
R61 outside Mthatha towards Port St Johns (flood-damaged road infrastructure)
N2 ongoing roadworks along Kei Cuttings will have an impact on traffic flow due to a one-lane closure (no lane closures during shutdown)
N2 Ndabakazi Interchange construction site near Butterworth
N2 between KwaBhaca (Mount Frere) and Ngcweleni River towards Kokstad
N2 from Makhanda to Fish River, and further up between the Green River and Buffalo River near eQonce (King Williams Town)
N2 Breidbach and Belstone Interchanges towards East London
R411 between Viedgesville and Coffee Bay received emergency pothole repairs by SANRAL but three flood-damaged bridges are only 80% complete.
Motorists will be able to access Coffee Bay as the Nenga Bridge will be open to traffic during the shutdown.
