Road users urged to be cautious on Moloto Road

Sanral is appealing to motorists to adhere to the rules of the road in and around construction sites along the Moloto Road (R573) in Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

“We’ve noted with concern that some motorists disobey traffic-calming measures including speed limit signage and flagmen.

“Some motorists drive straight through without stopping and we’ve had several close-call collisions on the construction sites,” said Lawrence Chauke, South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) Project Manager for the Moloto Road Upgrades.

“We urge motorists to cooperate during the upgrade, obey the rules of the road and exercise patience,” added Chauke.

Dubbed ‘the road of death’ due to the high number of accidents that occur, the R573 Moloto Road is one of the busiest routes connecting Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

The road has not been upgraded for years, and has, as a result, had to cope with increasing traffic in recent years due to the growth of peri-urban communities along the Moloto Corridor.

The upgrade, undertaken by Sanral, aims to increase safety and reduce deaths and accidents on this road.

Work has started with the construction of traffic circles in major intersections in Mpumalanga.

The upgrades will also include closing off dangerous illegal accesses, reducing conflicted movements on service roads, installing and replacing street lights and moving informal traders to safer areas.

The upgrade will take five years to complete and will bring some 6 000 job opportunities to community members who live along the Mpumalanga and Limpopo stretches of the road.

The estimated total cost for the upgrading of the 92,2km stretch is R2 billion and will indirectly positively influence socio-economic development in the area.

A total of 30% of the total project cost will create opportunities for small black-owned businesses.

The project also offers across the-board economic benefits ranging from unlocking the mineral belt to improved transportation.