1 November 2011
More than 13 000 jobs have been created through the government’s road maintenance programme, the national transport department said on Monday.
The most jobs created – of an overall target of 68 000 – were in KwaZulu-Natal with 4 562, followed by 3 845 in Mpumalanga. Free State came in last with 79 jobs created.
The programme, launched in April this year, focuses on the maintenance of the secondary road network, using a dedicated fund of R22.3-billion, spread out until 2014.
The department said 510 988 square metres of road surface had been resealed and 321km were re-gravelled under the programme. Blacktop patching and blading of potholes had also been done on some roads.
The department said a recent study had shown that potholes were costing motorists R50-billion in vehicle repairs and injuries every year.
Therefore, a sizeable amount of the budget had been allocated to repairs on a district-by-district basis.
Maintaining and upgrading often-used rural roads formed part of the programme, the department said.
Sapa
