April 1 launch
date planned
Keeping
transport moving
THE NEW Heidelberg traffic control centre and weigh station is expected to be in full operation by April 1.
The R25-million centre, which is located some 10 km south of Heidelberg,
is expecting to process
600 000 vehicles a year.
The Heidelberg Weigh Station is not merely a weigh station but forms part of a network of traffic control centres that were planned a number of years ago, said deputy director general transport for Gautrans, Jason Sishuba.
Its location is in accordance with the national
priority list as part of a countrywide programme co-ordinated by the National Overloading Control Technical Committee. It is located so as to minimise possible escape routes and maximise operational effectiveness.
This important facility lies on the N3 that links Kwa Zulu-Natal and Gauteng. It caters, therefore, for the high volumes consisting of heavily-loaded trucks to and from the Durban and Richards Bay harbours, he said.
The project is a joint venture between the Gauteng department of transport and the South African National Roads Agency, with both contributing towards the capital costs.
A detailed cost/benefit analysis indicated that the project is viable and will reach a break-even point after eight years. The design philosophy was to reach as large a percentage of vehicles as possible, to be labour intensive where feasible, to be flexible and to make both a national and provincial impact on law enforcement, he said.
The centre would be used not only to weigh trucks but to inspect all types of vehicular traffic including buses and taxis.
The economic evaluation of the project suggests that the centre will make a fundamental contribution to the economic development of the Gauteng Province while enhancing the status of the road network in both Gauteng and the country as a whole. Control of overloaded vehicles in Gauteng has been at a relatively low level over the last few year. The situation needs our
collective and urgent attention. Government resources alone, to provide new transport infrastructure and even to adequately maintain what we have, are very limited. Therefore the protection of our existing infrastructure is critical and all necessary efforts must be put in this direction, said Sishuba.
By Anna Cox
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