The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) will invest more than R60-billion on road infrastructure projects in the Eastern Cape over the next five years, the agency's southern region stakeholder coordinator Welekazi Ndika said during an engagement session with members of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders this week.

She did not provide a timeframe for the investments.

Sanral has already invested more than R8-billion on road construction projects in the Eastern Cape, and most of these projects have benefitted majority black-owned companies, Sanral noted.

The developments undertaken in the Eastern Cape were linked to other secondary roads in the province and Sanral continued to ensure integration and synergy with local and provincial roads, in the process improving the socio-economic conditions of those who live alongside the national road network, she said.

“We endeavour to link infrastructure development to economic development. We see ourselves not only as responsible for building and maintaining the national road network, but also to be a catalyst for economic growth and development,” she told the house during the session to share information about Sanral's key projects in the Eastern Cape.

Some of the notable projects under construction include the upgrading of R63 Section 13 from Fort Beaufort to Alice, the upgrading of the R67 from Swart Kei river to Komani (formerly Queenstown), construction of the N2 Wild Coast Road Msikaba Bridge and the construction of the N2 Breidbach and Belstone interchanges.

The N2 Ndabakazi Interchange and the road improvement project of the N2 from Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) to Fish River Phase 3 has recently been awarded, as have the R4-billion Mtentu Bridge contract on the N2 Wild Coast Road and the R1.2-billion R56 Matatiele to KwaZulu-Natal Boundary project.

There are also various community development projects being undertaken in parts of the province, during this financial year, Ndika said.

Further, there are key projects that are at the award stage, including the slope stabilisation of the R58 between Lady Grey and Barkley East, and the special maintenance project of the R390 from Cradock to Hofmeyr, she added.

Projects that are under evaluation include the road improvement project of the R63 from N6/R63 intersection to the N2/R63 intersection (Qumrha), and the R63 Section 15 to Section 16 Bhisho to N6 Bridge.

Meanwhile, Sanral's engagement with Eastern Cape traditional leaders is part of concerted efforts by the roads agency to work together and foster a relationship with traditional leaders to benefit rural communities. Several of Sanral's major projects in the Eastern Cape traverse rural areas and connect the province’s rural roads to urban centres, while stimulating economic development within those rural communities, she said.