Durban – The Port of Durban is addressing the congestion in Bayhead by constructing a new bypass road.
The Port of Durban announced the construction of the Bayhead bypass road, which emerged as an emergency response road infrastructure intervention to divert trucks from the then-damaged Bayhead Road, subsequent to the disruptive KwaZulu-Natal floods that occurred in April.
The bypass road ties in with the decongestion task team mandate which seeks to decongest the port.
Port of Durban port engineer Malefetsane Setaka said that the newly constructed bypass road was heading for completion, with the paving of the two asphalt layers already complete. The paving of the third asphalt layer is under way.
Setaka said that the road is about 1.6km long and is a unidirectional single-carriageway consisting of two lanes towards Island View and the Durban Container Terminals.
“The construction of the bypass road is one of the interventions by the Port of Durban to decongest the port. The teams continue to work tirelessly to mitigate the issues of congestion while maintaining an efficient port system,” Setaka said.
The roadway consists of four canal crossings and two level crossings. Fencing and street lighting have also been included.
He said that the road starts at the Shell Service Station on Bayhead Road and ends at the turning circle on the existing Ambrose Park Access Road which joins the Langberg Road intersection at the Transnet Academy’s Maritime and Port Terminals (previously known as the Maritime School of Excellence).
The project is expected to be completed in mid-December, in time for the Christmas break.
“The Bayhead bypass road has been one of the projects that have cemented our commitment to ensuring fluidity in our port, ultimately responding to the demands of our industry. Not only this, through this construction, the teams have demonstrated agility and resilience during times of crisis and various industry players have shared these sentiments,” Setaka said.
In August this year, ALS Paramedics Medical Services director Garrith Jamieson said that they were finding it extremely difficult to respond to emergencies in the Bluff and Durban Harbour area.
Trucks were stacked all the way around the port, and this caused major traffic jams. All entries towards the Bluff are obstructed by trucks occupying all the available lanes.
ALS Paramedics battled to get to a scene where a security official was injured in a shooting. Paramedics responding to the incident had to drive into oncoming traffic to try and get to the scene.
Routes that were affected were: Umbilo arterial both directions from Bayhead Road to M7, Sydney Road from Moore Road, Bayhead Road from Umbilo Road, Maydon Road from Moore Road (onramp to M4 Southern freeway jammed closed), M7 Edwin Swales from Wakesleigh Road to Bluff Road and Umbilo Road from M7 to Rick Turner Road.
Daily News