Job opportunities for ward 71 residents
Community will benefit from employment at the South Road project.
The community is said to get employment opportunities from the South Road project. The project will take about 12 to 18 months, according to the project engineer.
On Tuesday 16 January, a focus meeting was held to discuss issues regarding designs, site camp establishment, safety, job opportunities, project time-frames, current illegal dumping on site and the raw sewage currently flowing into the watercourse. The meeting was held with Econocom Consulting Engineers, represented by their Project Engineer, Dinesh Chaithoo; Revolution Consulting, represented by Jubilee Bubala, Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP), and Ward 71 councillor, René Benjamin.
Also Read: South Road closed until further notice
According to Benjamin, the engineering team has put forward its project designs with three options for Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) to choose from. The designs were informed by the hydrology and hydraulic studies that were undertaken. The chosen culvert will allow for easier flow of water. The detailed design has been submitted to the JRA infrastructure department for authorisation and also to the EAP for the basic assessment and water use permit. The project caters for a detour road from South Road during the course of the project and will also include a proper sidewalk with Armco barriers for the safety of the pedestrians (residents and students) who make use of the road.
Chaithoo said, “There is a problem of raw sewage flowing into the stream and dead animals are also being dumped into it. This has caused a foul smell throughout the bridge precinct, which is not safe.”
“In order to ensure that the community is informed of job opportunities and the community benefit from the project, job opportunities notices/advertisements will be placed in the Record as well as possibly at the libraries and clinics in the ward. The details of the number of community members that will benefit and the various positions available will be announced after the contractor has been appointed. A community liaison officer will also be appointed for the duration of the project,” stated Benjamin.
Benjamin would like to make the community aware that it’s not just a hole that’s being fixed – the whole bridge is being repaired. This is a very complex project that will require a lot of time.
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