Transport and Public Works Minister, Daylin Mitchell, together with Drakenstein Mayor, Conrad Poole and Cape Winelands Mayor, Dr Elna von Schlicht, officially opened the Haaskraal Road outside Wellington this morning.
Improving travelling and easing congestion on our roads remains our priority especially during this busy period.
It gives me great satisfaction to be part of this occasion, the official opening of such an important road in the Cape Winelands District. This event takes place exactly 24 hours after I launched the provincial safety plan for the 2021/22 festive season.
At the launch yesterday, I could not emphasise enough the importance of saving lives and livelihoods during these trying times.
Construction of this multi-million project commenced on 22 February 2019 with a scheduled completion date of 22 April 2021. However, further amendments to the original road project changed the date of completion.
The work of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works on roads is focused on preserving surfaced roads, gravel roads, and bridges.
Spending priorities are determined by, among other things, road condition, date of the last refurbishment, the nature and volume of traffic, safety considerations, the number of people a road serves, the economic importance of a road, and the availability of alternative routes. For the citizen, this means better access to work opportunities, economic opportunities, and social amenities.
The reason for this construction project is to enhance the agriculture, socio and tourism development in the area on the 7.49 km stretch of the road.
The Western Cape Government is committed to ensuring a safe and reliable road transport system, as this is crucial in supporting our local economy and driving job creation. Functioning roads allow commuters to get to work and back safely and to make a living.
It also supports our trucking industry and the agricultural and retail industry which are dependent on it for exports and transporting products.
I am very proud of the work that has been done by my Department in working together with the Cape Winelands District Municipality in upgrading this road. Safer roads are of great importance to this province. They attract investors and tourists to boost our economy.
My Department will continue to support infrastructure developments of this nature across the province in order to change the lives of our residents for the better. One of our main objectives is to ensure that road users are not subjected to restricted movement on our major road network across the province.
I am proud to lead a Department that is committed to constantly improving service delivery to empower our citizens by enabling them to access job opportunities through using our well-maintained roads.
