Johannesburg Roads Agency has launched a US $20.2m roads project following consultation with the local community on enhancement of the roads. The first of the three road projects will see the section of roads which are in Southern Johannesburg District in Soweto upgraded to gravel roads.
The second road project will see the construction of a bridge in Soweto township of Naledi while the third project will include the upgrading of storm water drains in the area.
The programme’s budget for the 2013/14 financial year was US $1.49m and over the medium-term expenditure framework period JRA expects to spend over US$121m on upgrading gravel roads in the area.
According to JRA’s Managing Director Skhumbuzo Macozoma, the townships of Lawley and South Pretoria were added to the 2014-1015 financial year list of upgrading. Macozoma also noted that the project will help create up to 280 jobs and after completion there will be improvement in living and mobility standards. In addition, the Naledi Bridge will help connect two communities in Soweto that were separated after apartheid.
The Naledi Bridge project which started in June will cost US$4.65m and is expected to be completed by September 2015. The third project which will cost US $ 0.58m will see upgrading of storm water drains in Dobson ville extension 3 ward D. The project started in February and expected to end in July.
JRA is responsible for the planning, designing and construction of road infrastructure in the City of Johannesburg and in May it launched the Find & Fix mobile application at the Microsoft Building, in Sandton which the Agency says is one of the communication tools used to convert the JRA into a centre of engineering excellence. JRA MD Skhumbuzo Macozoma stated at the launch of the mobile application that it was important for the agency to have adequate data on the state of roads in Johannesburg to fulfill its mandate.
