Floods have destroyed the already slow progress made on a R6.1 million road under construction in Extension 6, and on the N2 in the direction of Fort Beaufort.
Floods have destroyed the already slow progress made on a R6.1 million road under construction in Extension 6, and on the N2 in the direction of Fort Beaufort.
The municipality has promised that finishing touches will be done once the area has dried out. The next stage according to acting municipal manager Thembinkosi Myalato is to bring in the mechanical broom to sweep the area and draw the lines on the road.
Myalato said 99 percent of the project was done but the weather was the only thing holding it back. Due to the recent rainy weather sweeping and drawing of the lines could not be done, Myalato said.
A visit to the area, however, revealed a situation far from ready for the finishing touches.
Rain has destroyed parts of the road left incomplete after the company doing the structural work left the site.
Answering questions about this, Power Construction's Community Liaison Officer Mkhanyiseli Solomon told Grocott's Mail that an agreement had been reached between Makana Municipality and the consultants.
According to the agreement the municipality says the project should be at this stage, Solmon said during an interview with Grocott's Mail on 4 October. His team left the site the following day.
Solomon said the project had started in May and was due to be finished last month. Because of bad weather, however, construction had taken a bit longer to complete.
Solomon said a sidewalk which was supposed to be part of the project would not be built, because the municipality said they didn't have the funds for it.
The reason Makana ran out of funds for the project, Solomon said, was because there was too much water in the area.
We had to do a sub-service to transfer water to the side of the road, and that required more money, said Solomon.
He promised that the road would be left in a good condition, however.
Myalato told Grocott's Mail the company had appointed a subcontractor and it would have been a waste of money to keep Power Construction on site when most of the work was already done. Each day they spend on the site costs the municipality R8 000, Myalato said.
He said 99 percent of the project was finished.
Myalato confirmed that a sidewalk had initially been part of the project, but because of the amount of water and lack of drainage in the area, they decided a sub-soil drain was needed.
We need to look for money for the sidewalk, he said.
Myalato was expected to submit reports to Council last Friday about all projects currently under way, including this one.
