AFTER three years of pressure from Ward 18 councillor, Tim Brauteseth, the Roads Department has agreed to resurface 27 roads in the Ward 18 area.
The roads in question are situated in Pinetown Central (Crompton street), Pinetown Industrial, Cowies Hill Park and Cowies Hill.
“All of these roads had passed their sell-by-date and were due for refurbishment. I had complained continuously about it and had argued for funds to be allocated for this work. I am pleased to say that this pressure has paid off,” said Brauteseth.
He added that there are still many roads to be resurfaced, particularly in the Pinetown CBD, but this is at least a step in the right direction.
“In addition, the work on the C3 corridor of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network in Pinetown has started and this will see upgrades of Qushana Khuzwayo (Shepstone) and Josiah Gumede (Old Main). So we are finally getting to the upgrade of Pinetown roads, which is long overdue” added Brauteseth.
Londa Zwane, from the Roads Provision Department confirmed that all of the roads were either currently under construction or that work would start soon. He confirmed that the work envisaged would take approximately four months to complete.
The work will involve asphalt overlaying on the existing road surface. In order to maintain a safe environment for both road users and construction personnel, traffic will be controlled using stop/go controls.
However, Brauteseth has raised another road rehabilitation issue, the Comrades Route over Cowies Hill. The road has recently been dug up for a new water pipe project. This project is due for completion on 23 May, which is of serious concern as Comrades takes place on 1 June.
“It is essential that this stretch of road and adjacent verges is completely rehabilitated and comprehensively cleaned to accommodate runners, marshalls and spectators. Many runners training for this event have reported serious injuries due to the uneven road surface. This is an international event and we certainly do not want to see any runners injured on this stretch of the route due to an inferior road surface. I will be working with the relevant officials to ensure that this rehabilitation takes place in time,” said Brauteseth.
The Roads Department as well as Brauteseth has called on residents to be patient and wary when travelling in affected areas.
