John Ross upgrade is complete
Nine years on and it is the end of the road for the John Ross.
BARRING a few finishing touches, the nine-year upgrading of the John Ross Parkway has been completed.
At the 55th and final meeting of the Project Liaison Committee (PLC) on Thursday, members heard that outstanding items mostly related to clean-up work, road markings, signage, drains, guard rails, grassing, sidewalks and median islands.
Street lighting around intersections will be switched on today (Monday) and a one-week period of traffic monitoring will determine the synchronisation of robots at the Tanner Road intersections at Empangeni Rail.
New speed limits will be in force as soon as the signs are erected, which will be within the next three weeks.
From Empangeni to the N2 will be restricted to 80km/hr, increasing to 100km/hr from the N2 to Alton.
Technically tough
The R1.1-billion Department of Transport project under lead consultants Henwood & Nxumalo (H&N) has been a model – albeit lengthy – example in terms of new project dynamics.
The upgrade comprised two distinct sections: from the N2 to Richards Bay (13.5km), and from Empangeni Rail to the N2 (2.2km).
This included two exceedingly difficult engineering features: the rail-over-road bridges at Empangeni Rail and the 1.2km bridge spanning the Enseleni floodplain and Nsezi River, between the N2 and eSikhaleni robots.
Completed in December 2009 at a cost of R270-million, it is the longest bridge in the country.
‘We believe the PLC has served its purpose as a link between stakeholders, including the municipality, business and the community,’ said Brian Henwood of H&N.
‘The slow pace of progress was determined by availability of funding plus the fact that we gave opportunity for emerging contractors to participate and used local labour which allowed for skills transfer.
‘In terms of environmental obligations, offset mitigation was more than was required.’
Appreciation of the PLC’s open lines of communication was expressed by the media, ZCCI, Rail businesses and the municipality.
The date of the official opening ceremony is yet to be determined.
Henwood added that it is still the intention of the Department to start the R619 upgrade between Brackenham and the N2 at Nseleni during the current financial year.
