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R840m needed to complete 'missing link' on Sani Pass road

R840m needed to complete 'missing link' on Sani Pass road

Photo by Duane Daws

23rd July 2015

By: Shirley le Guern

Creamer Media Correspondent

  

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Investment of R836.6-million is needed to connect the “missing” 19 km stretch of road between the Sani Pass Hotel at the South African border and the Lesotho border to open up a vital Durban–Pietermaritzburg–Lesotho trade corridor.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport senior manager for policy and planning Pat Dorkin told delegates at the KwaZulu-Natal Funding Fair, in Durban, on Wednesday that this was the missing link in a vital road that was all but complete on either side.

The first phase of the 33-km-long P318 project on the South African side of the border, which starts at Himeville, was completed in September 2012.

The Lesotho government, using Chinese funding, would complete the stretch of road from its border to the town of Mokhotlong in October.

The remaining 19 km segment needed to join the two was currently restricted to four-wheel drive vehicles, owing to the steep rocky nature of the pass and poor road alignment.

The P318 Sani Pass road was the only road link between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. On completion, it would decrease the traveling distance between Durban and Mokhotlong from 621 km to 304 km, Dorkin told delegates at the Funding Fair. 

“The importance of this pass to KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho must not be underestimated. For the development of both of these regions, it is imperative that the entire length of the P318 be updated to a blacktop road. However, due to the terrain, it is going to be expensive to do so and further funding needs to be secured,” he said.

Dorkin explained that the mountain pass formed a vital link between South Africa and Lesotho and, therefore, had international importance as it served as a trade and economic conduit between the two countries.

From KwaZulu-Natal’s perspective, it had major tourist and trade significance, providing important economic benefits to the Underberg areas. To Lesotho, it provided the nearest market and healthcare services for the people of the Mokhotlong region.

He added that the project’s biggest impact would be the opening up of access to South African markets for Lesotho, lower transport costs for local traders, lower costs of consumer goods in this areas and the stimulation of local economic development.

The road, which traversed the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park – a proclaimed World Heritage Site – would also open up an important tourism route, providing access to the Maloti Transfrontier Park, Dorkin pointed out.

The entire 33-km-long road in South Africa is characterised by extremely steep gradients, S bends and tight radii curves, particularly as it approaches the Lesotho border. Major issues are inadequate drainage and erosion.

He explained that it had been decided, in 2006, to upgrade the entire route at a cost of R167-million, with the national Department of Transport having contributed R85-million and the provincial department the rest.

However, after the original scoping report, it was decided to further upgrade the road to an all-weather surfaced road over the full 33 km. This, together with “problematic materials, mountainous terrain and an environmentally sensitive area” had pushed up costs considerably to R391.9-million for the first phase and an estimated R836.8-million for the second phase.

Phase 2 could start in January 2016 if the required funding was raised. Owing to the complexity of the project, Dorkin estimated that the phase would take four years to complete, with the road potentially opening by December 2019.

The project would create 8 360 job opportunities with the majority likely to go to those from local impoverished communities, he said.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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