Limpopo needs R7.3 billion to address road construction backlogs in terms of the so-called Bermuda Road projects which were halted when the province was placed under administration a few years back.
Speaking during a briefing in Polokwane on Monday‚ Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) CEO Maselaganye Matji said assessments reflected that addressing the backlog would require R7.3 billion while the implementation would be spread out over a period of five to 10 years.
Matji was making announcements on the state of affairs at the RAL while also giving an update on all the projects completed.
He also said RAL had made great strides in the past 12 months by managing to achieve an improved audit opinion from the Auditor General of South Africa after it moved between disclaimers and adverse audits for the past five years‚ adding that this was a major turnaround for the organisation.
Matji said the improved audit opinion showed progress but they were eager to do more. He said a lot of effort had been put into bringing stability to the RAL adding that new partnerships with the private sector would assist in bringing in more funds.
According to the RAL’s 2015/2016 annual report 5‚928 km of the province’s 20‚260km roads are tarred while 14‚334 km are gravel.
Matji said it was important for the province to have good quality roads as this would drive the economy across all five districts.
He said more than R200 million had been spent on completed projects while an additional R3.2 billion was needed to normalise the road maintenance backlog which caused some of the older roads to have potholes.