GEORGE NEWS - While roads seem bumpy and stop-go systems are a bit of a pain, current road upgrades in George are going well and will ultimately result in high quality smooth surfaces that will benefit road users and the wider community.
George Municipality director of Civil Engineering Services, Reggie Wesso, said road upgrades on some of the major GO GEORGE bus routes are well underway and at different stages of completion.
"We understand it is inconvenient and ask road users to bear with us for a while. The upgrades are necessary to ensure that roads can continue to handle the loads and frequency of bus and other heavy traffic on these routes and are being funded by the Western Cape provincial and national governments. We are extremely grateful for this financial support as the upgraded road infrastructure benefits all road users and ultimately positively impacts our economy."
Courtenay Street
The Courtenay Street upgrades include rehabilitation between the railway bridge and York Street Circle. Wesso said phase one of the upgrade is completed. "The rehabilitation on Courtenay Street currently impacts the biggest number of road users, where construction of the structural layers was done on 150-metre sections at a time, mostly at night, to minimise traffic impact (phase one). As a result, the road feels bumpy and looks a bit patchy. However, once the final 30mm asphalt seal, which provides riding comfort, has been reinstated, a high quality smooth surface will replace the current bumpy ride."
Caution: drive carefully
It is foreseen that phase two, namely the reinstatement of the wearing course, will commence shortly. The public is again requested to take care when changing lanes and under wet conditions, since the road surface constructed under phase one is more slippery. In addition, the public is also requested to take extreme care when driving on the final completed wearing course over the first few days, as road marking will only follow a day or two after the reinstatement of the final wearing course.
Other upgrades
In Caledon Street a stop-go system applies 24 hours a day between Davidson Street (George Library turn-off) and the train track intersection at Berg Street (Botanical Garden). Traffic congestion is expected throughout and road users are requested to make use of alternative routes where possible. The project experienced some weather delays, but remains on track to be completed by the end of September. Full road closure restrictions may occasionally apply for short periods of time.
Mission Street in Rosemoor is closed from after the Industrial Road turn-off to the Miller Street intersection (a stretch of 550m) until at least September, whereafter a 24-hour stop-go system will apply until end November. Good progress has been made in combating the sub-surface water problems that caused the original road damage.
Park Road near Eden Meander is closed from the Protea Park entrance to the Blue Mountain circle (circle excluded). The project is currently running ahead of schedule and the municipality is hopeful that it will be completed well in advance of the planned completion date of end of August.
Please make use of alternative access to Eden Meander and Blue Mountain Estate. One lane of the servitude road is closed between Knysna and Park Roads. Access to and from Protea Park is currently open.
Read a previous article: Roadworks in Caledon Street affect bus routes
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