R511 between Gauteng and NW reopened
The Gauteng Department of Transport has reopened the R511 which connects Gauteng and the North West.
The road, which was opened by Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi on Monday, has cost the taxpayer R146 million.
Vadi said the department has upgraded an 18 kilometre stretch of the road up to the North West boundary.
“I am led to believe that this road is a major connector to Sandton and to Johannesburg. The original contract was supposed to be 12km from the R511 down, but there was a remaining 6km towards the North West boundary and it was very, very bad. So in total we have upgraded it and it is 18.1 km.”
The project took the department 16 months to complete and will connect Laudium, Atteridgeville, Sandton and Johannessburg.
Meanwhile, work at the Diepsloot R551 has not been completed despite two extensions been granted to the contractor.
“The project is not completed, it is one of the biggest projects of our department, and it is over R500 million. The contractor there was Leeba Construction, he has failed the deadlines twice now already. We gave an extension till June this year, and the project is probably 40% completed already. So it’s an uncompleted project.
“As a result of that, we have now no option or choice of allowing his contract to lapse or end that contract and as we speak there is no contract on the R511, William Nicol,” Vadi said.
The department says it will open up a tender process to allow work on the R551 Diepsloot road to be completed.