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Commuters who travel on the busy N2 between Qonce and East London face a nightmare few months of being forced to use a far more challenging route, the R102.
Sanral has announced road closures in Qonce which are set to continue until September 2023.
The closures are to allow for road construction in Welkom Street, Independence Road and Joubert Street. This comes as the R438m Breidbach and Belstone interchange projects are under way, resulting in traffic congestion on the N2.
In a statement, Sanral said motorists using the N2 from East London were expected be diverted through Zwelitsha, taking the R102 at the Ntabozuko (formerly Berlin) intersection and proceeding through the Litha, Ndevana and Phakamisa townships to join the R346 to Qonce.
For motorists driving from Qonce to East London, the reverse route would be recommended.
The engineers on site drove the route (R102), and saw it fit to be used as an alternative, with routine road maintenance to be done on the route
On average there are more than 2,000 motorists using the N2 between Qonce and East London daily, according to Sanral.
Sanral has maintained the N2 will remain open and that the diversion is for motorists “to avoid congestion near Breidbach”.
“This action is taken to alleviate congestion on the N2. The engineers on site drove the route (R102), and saw it fit to be used as an alternative, with routine road maintenance to be done on the route,” said Mbulelo Peterson, Sanral’s southern region’s manager.
“The R102 pothole repair teams have already started and this will continue for the duration of the contract. Line markings will be done and road signs will be attended to in the next two weeks and will continue for the duration of the contract.
“General maintenance will also be done throughout the duration of the contract. The project should be completed in June 2024,” said Peterson.
The Dispatch took a drive along the R102. The road is riddled with potholes and has poor markings. Many pedestrians cross the road in areas not designated for this and there are also stray animals along the route.
Taxi drivers overtake and abruptly stop as one navigates the narrow road.
Siphokazi Mhlobo, who lives in Qonce, has been working in East London for the past 10 years.
It is understandable that the construction is being done for the betterment of the infrastructure. Also, there are job opportunities created as a result of that construction
“It is understandable that the construction is being done for the betterment of the infrastructure. Also, there are job opportunities created as a result of that construction. However, we would have wished Sanral to first check the state of the road and fix it before the diversion,” said Mhlobo.
She said the amount of money she spent on fuel had increased since construction started late last year.
“I stay in Sweetwaters in Qonce so I have been using the Zwelitsha and Ndevana routes most of the time since the start of the construction. This is due to delays and [scheduled] blasting in the Breidbach area.
“Previously, before the construction, I used to spend about R1,000 on fuel per week. Now I spend about R1,400. The Ndevana route (R102) has potholes and it is difficult to drive on it, hence the delays,” she said.
Mhlobo said she planned to relocate to East London until construction of the road was completed.
Nosiphiwo Malolo, who lives along the R102 route, said they had started to see huge volumes of cars on the road in recent months when there was there blasting at the Breidbach interchange.
“I am afraid because this road is narrow and these cars are speeding. This is like a disaster in waiting and we might have many accidents here,” Malolo said.
Taxi driver Milile Tsheti, who uses the R102 daily, said: “For so many years this road had been riddled with potholes. I have had at least two tyre punctures on this road in the past few years. It is not easy to drive on this road when it is raining.”
With the festive season approaching, said Tsheti, it would be difficult to drive on the road.
“Some of us [taxi drivers] are speeding because of the target we need to make per day and it looks like the state vehicles want to compete with us for speeding. This is going to be a problem,” he said.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said: “The calls by concerned people over use of the R102 as an alternative are not misplaced. There is a lot of traffic that depends [on the N2] to travel between Qonce and East London and beyond.
“And here we are not just talking about civil servants and ordinary passengers, we are talking about freight and long-distance public transport operators.
“We are urging people to not lose sight of the bigger picture which is to fix that intersection in Breidbach. That intersection accounted for quite a number of lives and lots of losses in money for people whose cars had been damaged in that [intersection].
We understand the frustration but let us be patient. We know it was not an easy decision to reach for Sanral but it had to be made
“We understand the frustration but let us be patient. We know it was not an easy decision to reach for Sanral but it had to be made,” said Binqose.
He said they were concerned about the safety of people who lived along the R102 in Litha, Ndevana and Phakamisa.
“Suddenly they are going to be confronted by a huge volume of traffic. We would like to call upon them to treat that road differently. We do not want to see people losing their lives. We are calling on them to be extra vigilant and cautious.
“We are urging motorists using the R102 to lower speed because that is residential space with people crossing the road.
“We are going to pay special attention on this road (R102) to control traffic and protect those who reside along it.
“It is one of those roads that have been on our radar for this Operation Vala Zonke [the campaign to fix potholes] but unfortunately it has not been moving with the speed we would have liked in the Amathole and Buffalo City areas,” Binqose said.
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