By MIKE LOEWE
The completion date of the Gonubie Main Road reconstruction project has shifted again to August 17.
Drivers of an estimated 5000 cars in the seaside suburb have endured a number of completion dates over the 29 months since the R150-million project began in 2014.
According to Gonubie retailers, this led to a loss of R27-million a month, or R650-million so far in the two years, as shoppers make their purchases in East London hoping to ease the traffic flow through the roadworks.
There was chorus of relief when two lanes opened up in December to allow commuters in and out of the suburb, but during the day chevrons (also known as delineators) were still being moved onto the road to reduce access to only one lane in and one out.
In mid-May, then BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the project would be completed in its entirety at the end of June.
Yesterday, city spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said: “Works are in essence complete bar snagging and, depending on a number of factors ... the snagging should be complete by mid-August 2016.”
The Dispatch visited the site yesterday and saw three teams of workers chopping, sanding and sweeping away at 8km of 5mm-thick yellow-ribbed rumble strip – a Netherlands-made thermoplastic product meant to alert drivers who drift over the yellow line.
It started breaking up or delaminating a few weeks ago as a layer of grit, possibly from work going on nearby, got between the wet paint and the road.
Cindi said of the removal of the yellow rumble strip: “The contractor took a decision to install the line markings earlier than would be the norm to define the lanes as the motorists were destroying hundreds of the delineators that were fulfilling this function.
“The rib line was not adhering in places and had been damaged in other areas during the latter part of the final stages of construction of the road edge.
“The sub-contractor took the decision to remove the line completely and reinstall it throughout as he did not want to take the risk of only addressing what was damaged and those areas which had delaminated – only to maybe have to return again perhaps in the maintenance period to address isolated areas or latent defects.
“The sub-contractor indicated that if the weather works in their favour they will have the lines reinstalled by end of next week.”
Bad weather is expected from Sunday, said the weather service.
The road, the only link to East London and the N2, was upgraded to a reinforced concrete structure, but bad weather and poor management incurred contractor Basil Read penalties of R5000 day or close to R30-million.
Matebese said the road was originally costed out at R75-million in 2011, but was later bumped up to R150-million for four lanes of reinforced concrete.
He said the project was still within the tender award “of R150581826 (including VAT)”. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
One more month for Gonubie commuters
The completion date of the Gonubie Main Road reconstruction project has shifted again to August 17.
Drivers of an estimated 5000 cars in the seaside suburb have endured a number of completion dates over the 29 months since the R150-million project began in 2014.
According to Gonubie retailers, this led to a loss of R27-million a month, or R650-million so far in the two years, as shoppers make their purchases in East London hoping to ease the traffic flow through the roadworks.
There was chorus of relief when two lanes opened up in December to allow commuters in and out of the suburb, but during the day chevrons (also known as delineators) were still being moved onto the road to reduce access to only one lane in and one out.
In mid-May, then BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the project would be completed in its entirety at the end of June.
Yesterday, city spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said: “Works are in essence complete bar snagging and, depending on a number of factors ... the snagging should be complete by mid-August 2016.”
The Dispatch visited the site yesterday and saw three teams of workers chopping, sanding and sweeping away at 8km of 5mm-thick yellow-ribbed rumble strip – a Netherlands-made thermoplastic product meant to alert drivers who drift over the yellow line.
It started breaking up or delaminating a few weeks ago as a layer of grit, possibly from work going on nearby, got between the wet paint and the road.
Cindi said of the removal of the yellow rumble strip: “The contractor took a decision to install the line markings earlier than would be the norm to define the lanes as the motorists were destroying hundreds of the delineators that were fulfilling this function.
“The rib line was not adhering in places and had been damaged in other areas during the latter part of the final stages of construction of the road edge.
“The sub-contractor took the decision to remove the line completely and reinstall it throughout as he did not want to take the risk of only addressing what was damaged and those areas which had delaminated – only to maybe have to return again perhaps in the maintenance period to address isolated areas or latent defects.
“The sub-contractor indicated that if the weather works in their favour they will have the lines reinstalled by end of next week.”
Bad weather is expected from Sunday, said the weather service.
The road, the only link to East London and the N2, was upgraded to a reinforced concrete structure, but bad weather and poor management incurred contractor Basil Read penalties of R5000 day or close to R30-million.
Matebese said the road was originally costed out at R75-million in 2011, but was later bumped up to R150-million for four lanes of reinforced concrete.
He said the project was still within the tender award “of R150581826 (including VAT)”. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
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