RAPULA MOATSHE
The imminent project to upgrade the Alandale/ Ebenhaezer route in Elarduspark, east of Pretoria, with a view to alleviate the traffic congestion that has plagued road users during peak hours for years, has been hailed as a win for the community.
This follows an approval from the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, that a contractor hired for the ongoing project to repair and widen Boeing Road can now include the Alandale/Ebenhaezer route, previously excluded from the initial plans.
Ward 47 councillor Lida Erasmus of the City of Tshwane, said a specific stretch of Boeing Road, spanning from Alandale Ebenhaezer Road to Solomon Mahlangu Road, was unexpectedly omitted from the original upgrade contract.
“This section of the road forms a bottleneck and causes a lot of congestion and frustration. The congestion causes pupils to be late for school and for examinations. Children are our future, and nothing should be allowed to interfere with their learning opportunities,” she said.
Boeing Road in Elarduspark, a provincial road, has historically struggled to accommodate its substantial traffic volume on its existing two-lane infrastructure.
However, in 2023, a major revamp and widening project was undertaken, yielding notable progress in mitigating congestion during peak traffic hours.
Erasmus said: “Permission has been granted for the section of road to also be widened and the road to be upgraded under the same contract. This is a big win for the community and commuters of Elarduspark and surrounds.”
Her efforts to improve the route follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, Daryl Johnston, who also tirelessly advocated for upgrades to the road, a long-standing concern for both road users and local residents.
At some point Johnston condemned the Boeing road's condition, labelling it as the worst in eastern Pretoria, citing its plethora of potholes and inadequate road markings.
In 2018, the government allocated R175 million for road upgrades, but it was initially beset by problems emanating from allegations that the winning bidder had submitted forged documents
In November last year, Erasmus had discussions with the current contractor regarding the road issues and also penned a letter to the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, acting in her capacity as a DA ward councillor.
In her letter, she formally requested the department to incorporate the omitted section of Boeing Road into the upgrade project and to widen it, thereby eliminating the notorious bottleneck and facilitating faster travel times for residents.
Another councillor Rita Aucamp previously expressed grave concerns that Boeing Road had deteriorated to the point of becoming a hazardous risk to road users.
She said the community continually filled in the potholes as they appeared, but unfortunately, the provincial authorities had not been fulfilling their responsibilities.
In 2017, she garnered an impressive 1 200 signatures for a petition that was sent to Justus de Goede, who was the DA's transport spokesperson in the Gauteng legislature.
De Goede at the time said he would submit the petition to the relevant petition committee.