Road will link SA
to Maputo port
Anna Cox
TRANSPORTERS AND members of the public are invited to attend a series of public participation and environmental impact assessment meetings to discuss the N4 Platinum Corridor.
The Platinum Corridor Highway will run from Warmbaths in the Northern Province through Pretoria North in Gauteng, to Skilpadnek in the North West Province on the Bostwana border, near Lobatse. It will also link the North and North West Provinces of South Africa via the N4 Maputo Corridor Toll Route to the Maputo port.
The approximate value of the construction is R2,6 billion. The implementation of the user-pay principle along the N4 Platinum Corridor Highway is crucial to the construction and maintenance of the road which will be the central transport spine of the proposed spatial development initiative - the Platinum Corridor, said Bakwena Platinum Corridor Consortium (BPCC) project leader, Leo Ršhrig.
This is the third time that a public private partnership between the South African National Roads Agency (SANRA) and the private sector would result in a concessionaire being responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of a toll road in South Africa, he said.
BPCC, the preferred bidder for the N4 Platinum Corridor Highway, is involved in the public meetings which form a crucial part of the environmental impact assessment in towns along the proposed route.
To finance the project, BPCC has raised funds from leading financial institutions and will have to repay these loans from the revenue generated from the toll plazas over a 20-year period.
The total distance of the corridor is 380km, of which 90km consists of new construction.
We are planning to introduce electronic toll collection (ETC) for the first time in South Africa. This has many benefits for the road users as it eliminates the stopping time at toll plazas and ensures a quick, safe and efficient transaction, said Ršhrig.
For dates and details
of the meetings phone
(011) 805-0250 or (012) 362-2908.
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