Pretoria - The recently council-approved report for the City of Tshwane to transfer more than 9ha of land to SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) will make possible Phase 1 of the Moloto Road Corridor upgrades.
MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kingsley Wakelin said the imminent upgrades would cover the Moepel Street Overpass across Sefako Makgatho Drive, including roads and interchanges in Eersterust.
Tshwane and Sanral have signed a memorandum of understanding as a commitment to see the upgrades completed and to facilitate working relations between the two organisations.
Wakelin said the project would be facilitated through a council-approved memorandum of understanding entered into by both parties.
“With this progressive step, Sanral will now finalise the next key phases of the Moloto Road Corridor project, which is a crucial development for local communities and commuters who use this road daily,” he said.
Moloto Road is one of the busiest and most accident-ridden roads in the country.
The 160km stretch of road runs through three provinces and carries more than 150 000 commuters daily, most of them heading to and from work in Pretoria.
It has been dubbed “the road of death” as a result of the high number of fatal accidents over the years.
Statistics from the period January 2012 to May 2014 showed there were 489 crashes on Moloto Road, resulting in 158 fatalities and 594 serious injuries.
In 2016, the then transport minister, Dipuo Peters, announced during a sod-turning ceremony at KwaMhlanga showground that a R3.7 billion make-
over was planned for the road as part of government efforts to prevent further fatal accidents on the route.
It is envisaged that the new-look Moloto Road will form part of the Moloto Development Corridor, which is expected to attract huge investment in passenger rail to offer commuters safer, faster and more accessible connections between Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Moloto Road was incorporated into the Sanral network in 2015 and became part of the non-tolled portfolio.
In addition to the road upgrade, the government planned to spend more than R34bn on the development of the rail corridor, according to Peters at the time.
Wakelin said: “Moloto Road is infamous for its many road fatalities. As such, the City of Tshwane welcomes upgrades on this key route to Mpumalanga and Limpopo, which will improve safety and help drive economic development between Tshwane and the two provinces.”
He said council also approved the transfer of properties to the Tshwane North TVET College at its Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and Kudube campuses.
“The Tshwane North TVET College is set to undertake significant upgrades at its campuses across the City through funding from the Chinese government. In order to commence with the upgrades, the college needed to own each of its campuses, which the City has been happy to facilitate.
“The City is committed to unlocking local economic development through education and training opportunities.”
Pretoria News