JOBS have been created, traffic congestion has been reduced and business opportunities in the Rustenburg area are set to improve, all thanks to the upgrade of the R24 that was completed at the end of July.

Rustenburg has experienced significant development and expansion in recent years due to mining activities. Much of the development has occurred along the R24, raising the road’s status to an urban arterial.

Major upgrades to this road are intended to improve traffic flow in the area. The R24 serves as a link between Rustenburg and nearby towns, providing access to the N4, Rustenburg’s industrial area; the Waterfall Mall and various smallholdings next to the road.

Hennie Kotze, SANRAL Senior Project Engineer, said that the North West province identified the need to upgrade the R24 from a two-lane, single carriageway road to a four-lane, dual carriageway road because of the increased traffic that came from the numerous new developments.

“The R24’s increased capacity will reduce heavy congestion during peak hours along the artery and its feeder roads,” he said.

The scope of work involved the construction of new road, structures and road lighting, as well as the rehabilitation of the existing road.

“We have also included eight traffic circles as traffic-calming measures. They work as feeders from the service road and safe spots to make U-turns,” said Kotze.

The 30-month project started in March 2015 and was completed in July, at an investment of R403m.

A number of job opportunities were created during the construction, which saw local youth and women employed. The project also contributed to skills development in the area. These upgrades were done in part to create improved accessibility to adjacent properties, businesses and further development. In order to achieve this, about 400 properties were acquired and owners safely relocated. Some services that ran across the road reserve were also relocated to accommodate the new construction.

“We installed lighting for the entire 8km of the project – a major safety aspect. The traffic circles are themed according to where they are placed and they will have plants that live only on rainwater and require very little maintenance,” Kotze said.

The R24 was transferred to SANRAL during the last quarter of 2012. Since then, the roads agency has made significant improvements and contributed immensely to the growth of Rustenburg, the largest city in North West.