"We expect thousands of visitors during the World Cup period so we have to make sure that we have not only safe roads but a world class infrastructure," the agency's spokesperson, Advocate Thulani Makhubela said on Tuesday.
He said that despite the current economic meltdown, which had affected almost everyone in the country, as the city's roads agency they were still on track to complete the roads and construction on time.
Visitors would be left with an experience of the world class city, he added.
The city's road infrastructure is expected to be on par, if not better, with the standard of Germany's roads when it hosted the tournament in 2006 as well as France's roads when it hosted it in 1998.
The agency has begun a major project to resurface roads, build side walks next to the city's busiest roads, patching up potholes and installing traffic signals. As part of road maintenance, the agency will inject about R49m in repairing and replacing storm-water pipes.
For the event itself, the agency will further install anti-interrupted power system to avoid the switching-off of traffic lights in the city's busiest streets and intersections during the world biggest sporting event.
About R10m will be spent on setting up tourism signs and temporary directional signs at venues such as Ellis Park, training grounds, team base camps as well park and ride facilities. - Proffesor Ndawonde, BuaNews
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Wel well well, if this isn't a typical Africa view, I am not against the idea, it is great for everybody involved, but please stop comparing this third world country with a first world as the misconception is just to much, remember, if you lie to much later on you will believe your own lies. The roads are getting better there in GP but everywhere else they are crumbling, contractors who shouldn't be there, are doing an injustice everyday by proclaiming they are creating first world roads, the roads crumble, potholed all over, just plain dangerous at times and then some bright spark says the roads are topnotch…….if you guys use a normal car like everybody else you will notice that on our level that small pothole became a huge, rim breaking demon of a hole that can either kill, maim or give you an expensive taste of "first world roads " and their associated expenses..hahahahahaha, nobody is really laughing although the tire companies must be smiling from ear to ear. It is sad to see a once great road network, being reduced to this current network, I say shame on you, maybe we could get the prisoners to fix the roads, chain gangs, at least they would be doing something useful instead of doing nothing productive…..this is just a thought…..wouldn't it be nice to have better roads and a solution to one of our greatest problems – mr V
Rubbish…..…why cant they repair and keep the roads that we use everyday in good order …potholes everywhere and the traffic lights out and causing hours of wasted time sitting in a car…… 35 minutes to do 2 kms on the Nicol highway. – Adele Simpson
This article is pure spin! Meaningless platitudes without not an ounce of substance to back them up.
The M1 section between Grayston off-Ramp and Woodmead (for which JRA is responsible NOT SANRAL) has been without lighting for 1.5 years now, ditto all of the off-ramps along this section. This section is filthy and hardly ever cleared of weeds or litter.
Corlett Drive has so many weeds growing out of the middle section it could qualify as a park. Sandton Drive develops more potholes by the day as do most of the suburban roads I traverse in the Sandton area.
No more than 50% of the street lights of the city work. Lines, when they are painted onto roads, get smeared because the contractors don't bother putting adequate numbers of cones out to prevent cars crossing the wet paint. Traffic lights remain broken for weeks. Litter and general building detritus is NEVER cleared leading to increased wear on our already paper thin tarmacs and flodding as stormwater drainage gets blocked.
I have called JRA, through the Joburg Connect call centre on numerous occasions to report these issues but to no avail. A reference number is not a problem solved no matter what consultants may tell you! I have even gotten gold of contractors via numbers supplied on press statements, who have all assured me that the JRA is in meltdown and that there is simply no budget to maintain the roads adequately, let alone managerial skills/ drive. – Michael Rosholt
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