The MEC for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Ms Thandi Ndalane, handed over the R522 bridge-fixing project to Nyoni-Future Joint Venture contractors last Friday.
The event took place in the Blouberg area, where the department and the Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) were doing a sod-turning for the D1468 road project.
According to RAL's senior manager, Mr Maropeng Manyathela, the R552 bridge project was fused into a tender on D1468 in Blouberg. "However, the stakeholders agreed that the contractor should start with the R522 bridge," Manyathela said. "The handing-over had to take place in Blouberg because the contractor has another major project there." He stated that the work would start on or before 15 March, with the completion date estimated to be three months later.
The bridge collapsed some six years ago, causing several accidents where people sustained critical injuries, even causing deaths. The Kutama Traditional Council has been vocal about the collapsed bridge and decried the accidents it caused all the time, calling it a death-trap. The council's representative, Mr Gilbert Muofhe, welcome the project handover.