GEORGE NEWS - In response to a barrage of negative comments posted on the George Herald Facebook page about the severe traffic jams in and out of Thembalethu in George during peak times in the morning and afternoon, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has announced that construction work at the Thembalethu interchange on the N2 at Nelson Mandela Boulevard is nearly complete.

Petronella Theron, Sanral project manager, today stated that it is anticipated that temporary restrictions hindering traffic flow will be removed by tomorrow, Friday 13 September, and double carriageway traffic, both in and out of Thembalethu, should then be possible.

“While construction work is virtually finished, temporary restrictions are still in place on Nelson Mandela Boulevard between the intersections with Tabata and Ngcakani Streets to the south and Vuyani Ncamazana and Main Streets to the north. This is while the installation of the bridge expansion joints is being finalised,” said Theron.

“Once the restrictions have been removed, there may still be lane or shoulder restrictions until the end of October. These will be kept to off-peak hours as we are mindful of the impact on mobility,” said Theron.

All commuters who travel from and to Thembalethu must use the only access route via the Thembalethu Bridge. The bridge has been upgraded but it seems that even two lanes on each side are insufficient to ensure the easy flow of traffic. 

Comments on the George Herald Facebook page include “Open another exit going towards the Garden Route Mall side otherwise this really did not solve the congestion issue between four-way stop and the N2 highway” and “It has had minimal effect on the traffic congestion. I knew this would be the result when they started. It boggles the mind why they did not spend the money on a secondary exit”.  

Other issues of concern in the George area raised by George Herald readers are the congestion in and out of Pacaltsdorp, the Sanral project at the Gwaiing River Bridge on the N2 that has been a complete mess since 2018 and the as yet to be completed Maalgate Bridge on the R102.

Sanral did not respond to readers’ comments about these issues. It should be noted that the Maalgate Bridge is a project by the Western Cape government.      
 
Theron said the new streetlights installed along the length of Nelson Mandela Boulevard should aid visibility on this busy stretch of road.
 
She said Sanral apologises for any inconvenience caused. “This is however a short-term inconvenience in pursuit of long-term road safety and mobility improvements.”

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