eThekwini Municipality has announced that its upgrade of the old North Coast Road in Durban North is progressing well and construction is expected to be completed in September 2025.
The R181.9-million project, which started in May 2023, aims to improve road networks and ease traffic congestion in the area.
Project engineer Sihle Myeza said despite minor challenges, the project was progressing well.
“The project consists of constructing reinforced concrete retaining walls with parapets on the left-hand side, and specialist lateral support retaining wall on the right-hand side.
“Other work includes bulk earthworks, stormwater, culverts, layer works, service relocations, kerbing, building sidewalks, median islands, sub-soils, gabions, guardrails, asphalting and reinstatement,” Myeza said.
Challenges experienced during the project have included the need to temporarily relocate water, electricity, and telecommunications services infrastructure to ensure construction of the retaining walls and earthworks could go ahead.
He said these services would be permanently relocated.
“Another issue was the unstable embankments that collapsed while cutting for the retaining wall, (which) posed a risk. To deal with this issue, a geotechnical assessment was done on the embankments,” Myeza said.
The geotechnical report proposed that a specialist lateral support retaining wall be constructed to ensure the embankments are stable. – SAnews.gov.za
