Roadworks

This is the John Ross, just outside of Richards Bay, moving towards Empangeni. This road is currently being widened with 2 more lanes on the Mtuba side of the road, the right as you head towards Empangeni,


This project has needed to be done ever since I was baptised, now 19 years, and it looks like it will take another 5 years before they open the road to traffic!


What is frightening is that they have been hard at work on this for at least the last 10 years, and it is not yet any where near complete. I suppose that this has to do with the contract having been awarded to a Black Empowerment group.

What is amazing is that between the Esikhawini turnoff and pretty well Empangeni - at least 10 kilometers, they have been building up a bridge over the ex sugarcane fields! This is because they have had to sink piles into the seasand that most of Richards Bay is comprised of!



On the left are cane fields where they want to dredge the soil and flood it, creating a much larger harbour!

What amazes me is that Esikhawini started off as a staff housing estate for Alusaf Bayside smelter when that was first built - early to mid 1970's. If - and when - the fields are flooded, it will mean that the way to get to Esikhawini from Richards Bay, will be to drive nearly to Empangeni, then take the N2 freeway towards Durban, and turn off at the University of Zululand offramp!

As you drive past Esikhawini (Durban side of the John Ross Highway) you get to Port Durnford, then Mtunzini. What I have learned is that in 1879, Port Durnford was actually used as a port before they built a port at Richards Bay.

Something that I am battling to do is to convince members that they do trap - by speed camera - on the John Ross Highway between Empangeni and Richards Bay. With my luck, the once that I was doing 70 km/h down this road was the one time that I was bust for speeding! I was seriously convinced that the limit was 80 - hence I was crawling along at 70! Anyway, I had to cough up R 800 because I did not know the limit, and even at 70 in a 60 zone, I was the slowest vehicle on the road!