Conceptual designs for the expansion of the R72 coastal road between Port Elizabeth and East London has been completed according to South African National Roads Agency (Sanral).
The road is very vital for the region, given that Port Elizabeth and East London are major economic hubs; hence the road will be a boost to future developments related to the economy of the region.
Expansion of the road will include resurfacing and addition of lanes, and it is estimated to cost US $ 0.50bn. However, there is no detailed information of when construction work on the road will begin.
According to Sanral’s Regional Director, Mbulelo Peterson, the tender committee is set to decide on the appointment of a contractor for resurfacing and the lanes to be added between East London Airport and Keiskamma River. This would lead to a total cost of US $ 6.88m for this particular project.
The road, which will be 227km long, was integrated into the national grid with other provincial roads in 2012 after the transfer of ownership from the provincial government to Sanral.
US$70.17m would be spent in a span of three years in the upgrading of the R72. And there were no indications as to whether Sanral intended to change tolls in the routes for the road.
