The newly rehabilitated Piesang Valley and Robberg roads were officially opened by Hannes Mouton, executive manager of Roads and Transport Management (Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works) and Bitou Executive Mayor Memory Booysen on Tuesday, May 21.
The two stretches of road outside Plettenberg Bay town cost R67-million to upgrade. Approximately 10.6km of road was rehabilitated, which included resurfacing. The project commenced in November 2011 and between 100 and 120 people worked on the realisation of this project. It is estimated that R5-million of the contract value was spent on local suppliers and sub-contractors. The main contractor was Vusela Construction and the consulting engineer was Gibb Consulting Engineers.
Although it had taken contractors much longer than anticipated, all parties involved are very pleased with the end result.
The road was built in 1935 and surfaced for the first time in 1972 or 1973. According to records, the last upgrade was in 1981.
The roads were severely distressed and had shown failure in some areas, including cracks and frequent need to patch some parts.
Road safety was improved through the construction of two new climbing lanes on both Piesang Valley and Robberg roads. The roads were also widened to a new 3.4 metre lane, with a 0.9m surfaced shoulder and a 0.6m gravel shoulder.
Other improvements include selected improvements to the intersection, improved drainage, including concrete lines and open drains. New guardrails were also installed.
The Piesang Valley Road is one of the main roads between the N2 and Plettenberg Bay while the Robberg Road connects the town and the small airport outside Plettenberg Bay.
The Piesang Valley Road carries 4 500 vehicles in both directions daily. Seven percent of that traffic is heavy vehicles. The Robberg Road carries 2 800 vehicles in both directions, 10% being heavy vehicles.
Mouton said, "It is such a great feeling to take time to rebuild what the community finds important. It is also good to accommodate the needs of the people in the community and make things better for them. Our goal is to leave behind better communities and build healthier partnerships. Our overall goals are to create roads which are much safer and convenient for all road users, not only those who use these roads daily by driving a motor vehicle, but also for those who use the road by foot or by bicycle. Hopefully we will be able to hold hands and say, let's do it in a better way next time."
In conclusion Booysen said, "On behalf of Bitou, I would like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication. This today is a joyous occasion for us."
Before and after the road rehabilitation.
'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay | Garden Route news'
