Road resurfacing progresses at Pompeni River Bridge
Ward 63 councillor Chris van den Berg sheds light on the progress of the rehabilitation of Blundell Road and Shallcross Drive after being affected in the 2022 floods.
THE rehabilitation of Blundell Road and Shallcross Drive is progressing well according to the Ward 63 councillor, Chris van den Berg.
The upgrade of the road is part of the Pompeni River Bridge construction along the same road which was washed away during the 2022 floods.
The eThekwini Municipality commissioned the project due to the fact that the bridge is low-lying and is therefore at risk of future flooding.
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Afrostructures is the company tasked with the building of the new bridge which will be 90m in length at a cost of R74 million.
The Pompeni River Bridge, a low-level crossing connecting Shallcross to Queensburgh, was damaged extensively by the floods. It was then rebuilt by Shallcross residents within a matter of weeks and is still in use until the new one is ready. It will then be demolished.
Another major part of the upgrade is the construction of sidewalks, making it safer for pedestrians.
“The building of the bridge is now three months into the project. The rehabilitation of the road is part of the project, too. Once everything is complete, motorists will be happy to drive on pothole-free roads and the area will be more aesthetically pleasing,” said Van den Berg.
“There were sidewalks along the road, but they were in need of an upgrade. Now, pedestrians will be able to walk safely along Blundell/Shallcross Road,” he said.
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The road upgrade was meant to take two days to finish, however, work has been ongoing for over three weeks now.
“The contractor was waiting on the eThekwini Municipality to send out plumbers to fix the leaks before they could continue with their work. That’s the reason why work has been slow,” he said.
“There were four leaks along the road, all of which were fixed on Wednesday night (July 17), but another small leak developed. This should be repaired soon,” said the ward councillor.
Overall, Van den Berg said he was satisfied with the progress of the entire project.
“This is a massive project so there’s bound to be hiccups. I urge all motorists and pedestrians frequenting the area to exercise caution,” he said.
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