The long journey to complete 9th Road

City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Geoff Makhubo and MMC for Transport and Roads Nonhlanhla Makhuba were in Midrand on 22 April to officially reopen the newly completed 9th Road in Ward 112.

The Midrand Reporter has reported extensively on the construction to the road. The work began in November 2019 and was anticipated to be completed in April last year, according to the Johannesburg Roads Agency.

The road serves as a link to residential areas, work centres, access to schools and churches.

Kele Mafa, spokesperson for the JRA added that the purpose of the project was to upgrade existing gravel roads into surfaced standards, inclusive of storm water infrastructure.

She indicated that the road is approximately 1km long with a width of 7.4 meters with paved sidewalks on both sides, a culvert bridge and storm water infrastructure.

“The upgrade is from the intersection of 11th Road and 9th Road and ends on the corner of 8th Road and 9th Road. This is one of the roads used by public transport and it is expected that with the upgrade, the number of vehicles will increase,” Mafa added.

She explained that the national lockdown and other incidents had delayed the completion of the project.

Ward 112 councillor Lerato Mphefo welcomed the road, adding that she was ecstatic to see the project complete.

“I am more happy for the learners that use this road. We have two schools around this road here and the one that was most affected was Noordwyk Primary School as it is directly on the road. Therefore you can imagine the [concerns] before this road [was upgraded].

“I know that there were taxis that used to speed on the gravel road, and one can only imagine the amount of dust they were causing for the school, as well as the neighbouring complexes. I got complaints from residents claiming that they could not open their doors or windows because it was difficult for them to keep their houses clean. Therefore I am really happy for the residents and I believe this road will alleviate some traffic from other roads.”

MMC for Roads and Transport Nonhlanhla Makhuba expressed how excited she was. On 23 July 2019 she was on the gravel road with the JRA to do a soil turning to mark the start of the project.

She added that she was pleased to see that the JRA had delivered on the promise it made to the residents of Ward 112 even though the completion was delayed due to Covid-19. “What makes me the happiest is that the learners of the Noordwyk Primary School and Christ Church Preparatory and College can now commute to school with ease. Difficulties of mobility on this road by parents and those residing in this area will now be a thing of the past.”

Related Article: 

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/283945/roadwork-nears-completion/