Bayhead construction draws flood of complaints

A flood of calls have poured into the Aurecon Group – the civil engineers in charge of the road widening in Bayhead Road, the sole access to the Port of Durban container terminals – complaining about the traffic congestion, according to Solly Kuppan, transportation planner at Aurecon. This refers particularly to the area of the Bayhead/Iran Roads intersection and the entrance to the Cutler Complex (the bulk and oil terminals of Island View Storage). But the road construction companies have been doing their best to ensure the efficient flow of traffic where they have narrowed Bayhead Road 100 metres north east of IVS – including requesting the Metro Police to undertake traffic control. But things have not been going as smoothly as the road builders hoped. There is talk in the industry that the long-standing agreement between the port authorities and the Durban Metro Police that the port will pay for necessary traffic control measures is bogged down over some internal politics. There are also complaints that there is a backlog at the IVS, and that the bulk trucks and tankers which service the terminals are jammed up and increasing the road congestion problem. In response to the incoming calls of complaint, the Aurecon Group has been recommending that the callers “make the necessary bookings/arrangements with their business partners before going to the Bayhead area”, Kuppan told FTW. “We are also suggesting that road transporters ensure that their drivers obey both the road signs and Metro Police to facilitate a better flow of traffic.”