FORCED to avoid waterlogged ditches, heaps of gravel, potholes and trenches will become a thing of the past next year for motorist using the Ntambanana main route.
According to SA Road Federation member Mike Patterson, the P700 route’s planned upgrade was on the agenda at the federation’s meeting this week.
‘An engineer from Royal Haskoning DHV, a company involved in the John Ross Parkway revamp gave a presentation explaining the planned P700 upgrade,’ said Patterson.
This will involve resurfacing the road from Ntambanana through to Heatonville, as well as widening the road giving it an eleven metre width.
The poor condition of the road and its continued deterioration has been a growing concern for years.
According to residents the road becomes virtually impassable after heavy rain, potholes fill with water rendering them invisible and gravel and rocks wash onto the road.
In 2012 Tansnat Africa Ntambanana Bus Depot Manager John Marimuthoo decsribed in a Zululand Observer article how the poor condition of the road had contributed to major commuter service delays and mechanical breakdowns.
‘Vehicles are sitting in workshops for longer than usual. Heavy rains wash away the gravel and exposed stones slit tyres. With buses carrying a load, this leads to an abnormal number of punctures. This is costing us in time, repairs, damages and delays,’ said Marimuthoo.
The upgrade will start early next year with a completion time frame of roughly 15 months.
