Relief for motorists

Traffic flows in Bela-Bela were to get a major boost with the re-opening of the bridge across the railway crossing into the township, in a matter of days.

The railway crossing and the bridge were closed to traffic for renovation purposes.

Municipal spokesperson, Kabelo Mosito, said it was anticipated the motorway would be open to traffic by Friday 14 December.

Speaking to The BEAT on Tuesday 27 December, he said reconstruction work on the road was 90% complete.

The Bela-Bela Local Municipality had budgeted a total of R4,5-million for renovations on the bridge from across the railway line.

At the start of construction work in the vicinity of the railway crossing, traffic logjams became the order of the day, especially at peak hour and worse still at month end.

The reconstruction work also had rippling effects, affecting traffic flowing from the N1, leading to bumper-to-bumper snarl-ups on the Waterfront precinct.

Motorists travelling from the northernmost parts of the township created an alternative route across the railway line, out of and into Section Seven.

This development somewhat placed people’s lives in danger, for lack of stop signs at the three-way turn-off.

Mosito said the alternative route would be considered as part of the easing off of the festive season high traffic volumes.

— The BEAT