Residents rage over Witkoppen upgrade

Residents have already voiced their frustrations about the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the road during the construction period but a new stop-and-go system has raised the blood pressure levels of commuters. Resident Cynthia Lewis questioned why the road needed to be blocked off during rush hour traffic when they could rather do the work at night or on a Sunday when there was less traffic. Many residents are confused as to why the Stop-and-Go needed to be implemented as the left lane is void of construction while the right is being utilised.

Lewis also mentioned the numerous speed bumps on the road and questioned why they had to be so close together. “I have had to deal with the disaster that is the William Nicol upgrade for the past year and a half and now I have to deal with the repeat of much of the same on Witkoppen,” Lewis said. Vuyisa Mgxomomo of Phagama Civils and Engineering, the contractors who are working on the upgrade, said while the date of completion for the upgrade was originally the end of November, the date has now been pushed to the start of March due to unforeseen delays. Mgxomomo said the Stop-and-Go had been implemented to ensure that motorists reduce their speed on the stretch of Witkoppen Road where roadworks are taking place. In August a worker on the upgrade lost his life after a speeding truck collided with him while he was repairing a barrier. (“Labourer knocked and killed on Witkoppen”, Fourways Review, week ending 22 August).

When asked about the numerous speed bumps Mgxomomo replied that if motorists drive at the designated 40km/hour on the road, the speed humps are not a problem. Mgxomomo added that all safety standards had been met with regards to the speed bumps and signage and the reflective signage that is being used on the Witkoppen roadworks are standard construction site signage.

Read our previous story here:

Labourer knocked and killed on Witkoppen