ONE carriageway will be closed on the N2 underneath Stanford Road bridge weekdays between 19:00 and 05:00 for construction work.
The work forms part of the Stanford Road bridge project to construct dedicated bus lanes for the IPTS buses, as well as a pedestrian bridge.
According to SANRAL’s southern region manager, Mbulelo Peterson, only one carriageway will be closed off on the N2 and diverted across Stanford Road and back onto the N2 via the on and off ramps.
“This is to allow overhead work and haulage of materials to the work on the centre pier construction.
“Standford Road will not be closed and two lanes will be maintained in both directions at all times. The N2 will have both carriageways open unless notification via the media is received of carriageway closures,” Peterson said.
The widening of the Standford Road bridge will result in the walkway for pedestrians travelling towards Cleary Park being demolished and a new road widening portion being added.
The demolition of the existing walkway will take place at night and traffic will be diverted.
According to Peterson, traffic during peak hours will not be affected, which is the reason for construction taking place between 19:00 and 05:00.
Peterson added, “The pedestrians will be accommodated with a new pedestrian bridge which will be constructed with a metre offset from the road bridge. The IPTS bus lanes will be constructed in the centre of the bridge and the existing lanes will be accommodated by the widening. Both the works on the N2 below Standford Road bridge and on the bridge itself, form part of the same project.”
The road is the main thoroughfare for the city’s northern areas, with no other alternative routes available. With heavily congested traffic during peak hours, drivers whose daily commutes take them over the Stanford Road bridge, will soon have access to a two-way road with dedicated bus lanes.
Recently, construction on the Stanford Road bridge was brought to a halt after the 11 SMMEs working on the site downed tools.
The tender for the construction of the bus lanes and pedestrian bridge was originally made available in 2017 and was awarded to LEEK Construction.
However, despite a slow start due to alleged contractual disputes between SANRAL and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, construction on Stanford Road bridge commenced on January 7 and is scheduled to be completed by September 20 this year.
