Minister of Transport Sindi Chikunga has broken ground on a R2.4-billion road infrastructure project that is key to opening up a more efficient route for the movement of cargo from Ashburton, just outside Pietermaritzburg, to the busy Port of Durban.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said on Thursday that Chikunga had this month attended a ceremony to break ground on the project that marked the start of the construction of the R2.4bn Ashburton Interchange Project in Msunduzi Municipality. Ntshaveni said the road project “will improve the seamless movement of cargo from the Port of Durban into the country and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region”.
Speaking at a media briefing in Cape Town on Thursday, he highlighted the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
The Ashburton Interchange is part of the larger N2 and N3 upgrade programme to bolster the capacity of the North-South corridor.
The aim of the N2 and N3 upgrades is to bolster the capacities of these economic arteries from the Durban port to the rest of South Africa and the continent, in line with the ambitions set out in the Strategic Integrated Projects programme.
“The projects connect the Port of Durban, the largest port in sub-Saharan Africa, to the largest economic hubs in the country as well as our neighbouring countries in the SADC region,” he said.
According to the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral), the upgrades will also resolve the chronic traffic congestion and reduce road carnage, improving mobility, and safety, while reducing overall travel time.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, has handed over 13 small harbours refurbished through the government’s R501-million Small Harbours Repairs and Maintenance Programme.
The refurbishment of the small harbours will improve their efficiency and better serve the local fishing sector and other sectors in local economies. – SAnews.gov.za
