Democratic Alliance councillors in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality are pleased that the R580 million rehabilitation project of Marine Drive (from Southbroom to Confusion Junction in Port Shepstone) will begin soon.
Recently, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, launched the project with a sod-turning ceremony.
Hlomuka said it is important to focus on places such as the South Coast that attract a large number of tourists.
He said good roads and generally well-maintained infrastructure assist in drawing tourists, thus boosting the economy.
The MEC said they believe that the rehabilitation of the road will assist the South Coast in reviving its tourism sector which was hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that the upgrading of P395 (Marine Drive) is expected to be constructed in one phase, saying that the contract will allow for 36.75% of the value of the contract to be allocated to local emerging contractors.
Hlomuka said over 198 job opportunities will be created.
“P395 serves as an alternate route to the N2. It also connects local roads that lead to communities and the beach. This R580 million project is set to breathe new life in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality. The province will continue to implement infrastructure development to improve access to tourist destinations as part of efforts to help drive sustainable economic growth,” said Hlomuka, adding that the rehabilitation of Marine Drive will take a period of over 30 months.
DA councillors, George Henderson, Alan Bosch, Jean Schmidt, Paul Brauteseth, and Doug Rawlins, said in a recent statement: “The sustained efforts of the Democratic Alliance councillors in the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality have paid off. Years of submissions, lobbying, and behind-the-scenes pressure have resulted in a multi-million Rand project to repair the R620, known as Marine Drive. The Department of Transport has appointed Raubex, one of the largest road construction companies in the country to lead the project. The contract value is a whopping R581 million of which R139 million will be allocated to local contractors. The ward councillors are pleased that this project has finally been given the go-ahead.”
The project will require labour which will be sourced from the relevant wards as the need arises. The contractors and consulting engineers are currently in talks with all the role players to ensure that the project runs smoothly.
They added that the rehabilitation is a long-term project and they will keep residents informed about planning and progress.
“As this project will disrupt traffic while the road is under construction there has to be careful planning of alternative routes. We will however in the interim keep pressure on the Department to repair the section from the BP garage to the Waffle House bridge in Ramsgate. This is a safety issue and therefore, a priority as it is still very dangerous,” said the councillors.
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