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The South African National Roads Agency has officially opened the N2 Belstone Interchange and route MR 0688 which links the provincial capital Bhisho to Zwelitsha.
The commissioning on Wednesday follows a 33-month construction period, which commenced in September 2021.
“Valued at R438 million, the project was critical to address the high accident rate at the old Breidbach intersection and the traffic congestion at the intersection of the MR0690 and MR0688,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Regional Manager for its Southern Region
“Safety and flow of traffic were thus central in its design and construction.
“The upgrades to this section of the N2 will result in improved management of traffic flow from Bhisho, Breidbach, Zwelitsha and East London, and improved safety for pedestrians and other non-motorised road users,” he said.
Peterson said the one loop and off-ramp will present safer access to the N2 and improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians.
“The benefit to the community goes beyond the new and safer road infrastructure.
He said through this project, SANRAL was able to create job opportunities for 376 general workers from the local community, with about R106 million spent on wages of targeted labour.
“Over R194 million was spent on 100 targeted enterprises (SMMEs) who were subcontracted on the project,” Peterson added.
