A R178-million Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) project to rehabilitate and resurface sections of the R311 and R45 in the Moorreesburg area is progressing well, it said on Tuesday.

Construction started in June 2015 and is now scheduled for completion by July 2017, despite delays owing to unforeseen ground condition problems. “A revised construction programme is set to reduce the risk of further delays,” the department said.

Work on major storm water structures was completed in April, while layer work to rehabilitate and improve the structure of existing roads is currently under way.

Half-width construction is also in progress and traffic flow is being managed using a stop-and-go system during the day and a traffic light system at night. The half-width sections are no more than 4 km long and stop-and-go signs will be at least 3 km apart to reduce motorist frustration.

For safety reasons, the speed limit has been reduced to 60 km/h where there are roadworks. Two stop-and-go systems will be in place during the festive season and site personnel are on standby for any emergency, while regular route patrols will proactively identify and address any traffic issues.

To date, the project has generated a total of 50 000 person-days of work for labourers from the Swartland municipal area, and over R11-million has been spent on targeted enterprises.

Over 2 000 vehicles travel daily on the R311 between the N7 and Moorreesburg and over 800 vehicles travel daily on the R311 between Moorreesburg and the R45.

Meanwhile, the DTPW has also started a project to reseal and rehabilitate various sections of the R393 and R303 near Eendekuil and Citrusdal. This R58-million project is expected to be completed in mid-2017.

Up to 2 880 vehicles travel every day on these roads which were last refurbished in the 1990s. Half-width construction will take place in sections with stop-and-go controls to manage the flow of traffic.

During the course of this project, a total of R10-million will be spent on targeted enterprises and 15 000 person-days of work will be created for people from the Cederberg and Berg River local municipal areas.