Ek ry daagliks tussen Oudtshoorn en George en ek het nooit besef hoeveel mense bly soos ek in Oudtshoorn en ry oor George toe vir werk nie. Soos julle weet is daar padwerke en opgradering op hierdie pad. Dit is 'n welkome inisiatief, maar ek voel dit word uiters swak bestuur en daar word groot vertragings en frustrasie veroorsaak. Dat daar nog nie ongelukke was nie, is net genade van Bo. Mense word ongeduldig en gefrustreerd en vat dan kanse om verby te gaan. Ek neem hulle ook nie kwalik nie, want in vandag se gejaagde lewe is tyd kosbaar.
My probleem lê by die feit dat die pad op twee plekke eenrigtingverkeer het deur middel van 'n Stop-Ry-stelstel.
Hulle maak die pad vir kilometers aaneen toe en mens kan nie sien wat hulle eintlik op so lang stuk doen nie, Hierdie week kan ek met alle eerlikheid sê daar is nog niks gedoen op die stuk pad wat by Holgate net voor die Uniondale-kruising gesluit is nie. Ek kan geen verandering sien nie.
Mens sou dink op so besige pad sal hulle eerder maar een stuk op 'n slag toe maak en al hulle hulpbronne en werkers gebruik om daardie stuk vinnig te voltooi en dan weer aan te beweeg na die volgende stuk.
Die padwerke tussen Oudtshoorn en Calitzdorp wat vroeër vanjaar geteer is deur 'n ander kontrakteur het in rekordtyd plaasgevind as jy dit vergelyk met die George-pad. Ek is bekommerd dat hierdie padwerke dieselfde rigting aan neem as dié op die De Rust-pad. Dat dit vir jare gaan aankarring sonder enige substansiële vordering en mense dit misbruik om geld te maak.
Besorgde padgebruiker
In antwoord op bogenoemde brief het Byron la Hoe, woordvoerder van die provinsiale departement van vervoer en openbare werke as volg gereageer:
Roadworks on Trunk Road 75 (N12) between Oudtshoorn and Holgaten and Trunk Road 1/2 (N9) between Holgaten and Uniondale involve the patching, repair and resealing of the travelling lanes as well as the repair, supplementation and cement modification of the gravel shoulders. In addition, six auxiliary lanes are being constructed to allow for the introduction of further passing opportunities along mountainous parts of these routes.
Every road project is unique, and can therefore not be compared to any other road project.
The Department of Transport and Public Works regularly monitors progress on all of its road construction projects. The contractor engaged to perform these roadworks is on track and the work is expected be completed by mid-November 2019 as originally planned.
Because different kinds of tasks have to be performed simultaneously, more than one stop/go road closure is necessary at a time. If only one closure were to be permitted at a time, the project would take significantly longer to complete. We are aware that motorists find road closures frustrating, but some traffic disruption during roadworks is inevitable. The end result will be a smoother and safer ride for all road users, with new passing opportunities at key places along this road.
The contractor is undertaking repair work to the road pavement, involving patching and filling ruts. Once these corrective measures are complete, a texture treatment will be applied to the surfacing. Work on the gravel shoulders is progressing steadily. This work is approximately 40% complete.
Three of the six auxiliary lanes are complete up to surfacing level and the remaining three will be constructed during winter. Construction on the fourth auxiliary lane has already commenced. Winter surfacing will be placed on these lanes and they will be opened to traffic as soon as practically possible.
Final resealing will commence after winter when temperatures are high enough and the texture treatment has cured.
