The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has been allocated R12.4-billion for 2022/23, with a large proportion of the funds to be spent on restoring infrastructure damaged in the recent floods.
MEC Peggy Nkonyeni tabled the department’s 2022/23 budget at the Legislature August House on May 5 alongside Premier Sihle Zikalala and Treasury MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
The department has identified more than 1 369 projects, at an estimated value of R5.6-billion, to restore roads, bridges and other infrastructure that had been damaged in the floods.
For this financial year, the biggest allocation is for infrastructure at R8.9-billion followed by transport operations at R1.9-billion. Just over R1-billion has been allocated for transport regulations.
Nkonyeni outlined that transport was the backbone of the economy and central to the economic recovery of the province.
“The department remains committed to delivering services. In this financial year, we plan to upgrade 183 km of surfaced road, build 50 km of new gravel road and construct ten vehicle bridges and two pedestrian bridges," said the MEC.
“During the State of the Province Address, the Premier gave us marching orders and important tasks to be undertaken. Amongst those is to conduct investigations of all the lower-level structures to assess their safety.
“This is in response to an outcry in many parts of the province where, due to heavy rains, water floods above the bridge level,” Nkonyeni highlighted.