Plans to repair road to Durban Port welcomed

Ratepayers and resident associations said while they welcomed Transnet’s plan to rehabilitate the roads leading to the Port of Durban, they wanted solutions to the truck congestion that has plagued the surrounding communities for years.

Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) announced last week they were making good progress in a two-year project that started in September last year to comprehensively rehabilitate roads leading to the port.

In July, “The Mercury” reported that eThekwini Metro had approved a R50 million environmental impact assessment (EIA) aimed at helping alleviate truck congestion and to prevent damage to road infrastructure near the port.

TNPA said it was steadily moving ahead with interventions to improve access to facilities at the Port of Durban.

“This 24-month project is aligned with the Transnet Recovery Plan and the ports authority’s mandate to provide port infrastructure that ensures the port’s efficient functioning.

“The project teams have successfully completed 58% of the roadworks in the Maydon Wharf and Bayhead precincts. Toulon Road, Bayhead Road, Davey Road, Parker Road, McBride Road, Fletcher Road, Wisely Road, Maydon Road, and Johnstone Road have successfully undergone major refurbishments,” it said.

TNPA’s acting port manager for the Port of Durban Nkumbuzi Ben-Mazwi said the project team is working diligently to ensure that the project is completed on time as they understand that delays could result in further traffic congestion to the port.

Rishi Singh, honorary life president of the Clairwood Ratepayers and Residents Association, said while they welcomed the rehabilitation, concerns remained over the truck congestion.

“This will improve the roads but the problem is it’s a short-term solution and it will not reduce the truck congestion. If we still have the same amount of trucks on the road, we are going to have roads that are damaged again in a few years’ time.”

Singh said an efficient rail system would reduce the truck congestion.

“It is really the only way to save our roads, reduce the carnage and it is a cheaper option that would also reduce pollution. The sooner we have an efficient rail system the better for the public and the economy,” he said.

Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Norman Gilbert said they appreciated Transnet’s initiative to upgrade the road infrastructure.

“The Bluff suburb has been heavily impacted by container and tanker trucks diverting through our residential suburb due to the failing road infrastructure, and traffic jams at Bayhead Road.

“These trucks are damaging our roads, storm-water drainage, and water pipelines, leading to flooding and water outages. While the upgrades are a step in the right direction, we urge Transnet to enforce measures that prevent trucks from using the Bluff as an alternate route. Ensuring this would protect our community,” Gilbert said.

Malcolm Hartwell, Norton Rose Fulbright director and Master Mariner, said it was clear from a number of announcements and developments over the past year that the government had belatedly realised that without an efficient and cost-effective logistics system, there would be no economy.

“South Africa’s manufacturing and retail sector relies heavily on imports, while the commodities, mining, and agricultural sectors rely heavily on exports.”

Hartwell said this realisation is reflected in part by the announcement that after decades of neglect and denial, the access roads to the Durban container terminal are going to be upgraded.

“Industries’ continuous and repeated appeals to Transnet and the local and provincial governments to do exactly this for the past decade have fallen on deaf ears which is a source of enormous frustration to the industry and, ultimately, consumers. The fact that it is now apparently going to happen has to be welcomed,” he said.

Zoe Solomon, eThekwini ward 66 councillor in the Bluff, said it was imperative that Transnet moved with haste to alleviate the truck congestion on the M7 between South Coast Road and Bluff Road, and to inhibit the use of the Bluff Road by freight carriers to the suburbs.

“The port decongestion plan is the only hope we have of a safe suburb and less-congested access to our homes on the Bluff,” Solomon said.

The Mercury