Huguenot Tunnel Huguenot Tunnel
Nicolette Dirk
A PROPOSED R1.5 billion upgrade to the Huguenot Tunnel was crucial for the safety of motorists, SA National Road Agency Ltd (Sanral) project manager Tiago Massingue said.
“More than 1 300 trucks use the southern bore of the tunnel daily, which makes the revamp essential,” he said yesterday after Sanral took journalists on a tour of the tunnel
The development of the tunnel would create a dual carriageway to ease the influx of traffic. He added that the existing safety equipment in the tunnel had reached the end of its life cycle – and replacement was necessary and urgent.
“We don’t want to sound melodramatic, but it is important for the public and the authorities to know the risks we face if works on the tunnel are delayed or do not proceed.”
Massingue said Sanral’s court battle with the City was delaying the revamp.
“You don’t run to court and impose an interdict on us which ends up posing more harm to the road user,” he said, as he alluded to the City’s court challenge against having parts of the N1 and N2 tolled.
But Massingue said the revamp to the Huguenot tunnel was part of its planned N1/N2 Winelands Toll road project.
Sanral’s regional manager, Kobus van der Walt, said the initial cost of works for the project was R10 billion.
“This year, we received a total allocation of R12.5bn to look after the entire national road network. We cannot take all of it to do one project in one province.”
Mayoral committee member for transport Brent Herron said:
“The litigation before the Western Cape High Court was our last resort to prevent tolling, which was in our view unlawfully authorised, from being imposed on us.
“It is alarmist to claim that there is an urgent need to construct a second Huguenot Tunnel due to safety concerns.”
nicolette.dirk@inl.co.za