Minister Dipuo Peters to unveil Warrenton Bridge
Minister Dipuo Peters today launched the Warrenton Town Bridge, in the Francis Baard District of the Northern Cape.
The opening forms part of governments' key national roll-out of infrastructure delivery specifically as Warrenton has a high economic influence and relevance.
Warrenton links the N12 road from Gauteng to Kimberley, with the N18 national road to Mafikeng and Botswana also beginning there. It also has the main Cape Town-Kimberley-Johannesburg railway line passing through its town.
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) and the Magareng Municipality appointed service providers who widened the road on both sides, improved the safety of 16 intersections with turning lanes while also providing new double-seal surfacing of the full stretch of road, which is 52 kilometres in distance.
The founding bridge was built in 1931, giving it 82 years of operation as a single low level bridge. The improved bridge now provides for two-way traffic and accommodates high levels of river flow. This has resolved previous traffic delays, and the forced diversion of traffic due to water flooding which caused safety hazards to both vehicular and pedestrian road users.
"Adding to our growing successful portfolio of infrastructure development and maintenance we welcome the official opening of this bridge as a natural progression of our work, while ensuring that Sanral continues to deliver quality road networks to the people of South Africa in support of government.more galleries," said Nazir Alli, Sanral CEO.
Sanral and the Magareng Municipality played an integral role in making sure that substantive benefits were made to the surrounding communities including job creation. The project engaged individuals with different skill sets as their selection was dependent on requirement in the form of targeted tasks, learner-ship programmes for small, micro and medium enterprises, the use of local labour and mentorships.
The total value of employment in financial investment for the project to date, amounts to R14 982 847. Individual employment alone value totals R5 591 905 and SMME targeted enterprises value totalled R9 390 942.
These amounts were paid for the employed individuals and entities to supply diverse services, including security, tree cutting, fencing, transport and steel fixing, done at various points and varied shifts.
Minister Peters will be accompanied by Ms Sylvia Lucas, the Northern Cape Premier and Sanral CEO Mr Nazir Alli, amid other dignitaries and stakeholders.
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