Road works at the stretch of road at Nyakallong (Stinkpan) on the R30, and further along towards Bothaville are still in progress.
Sebata Motaung, the contractor, says construction is on schedule and should be completed by the first week of October.
“We are currently filling the north pan with G1. I was contracted to lift the road, not build a bridge,” says Motaung.
He says there is visible water under the road as there is a continuation of water being pumped into pan from the Harmony shafts. The construction work on the road at Stinkpan should be finished by October, says Motaung.
According to Cllr. Jessica Nel the initial time frame for the contract to be completed was 15 March, but she understands there were complications with delivery of material, more flooding, and other miscellaneous problems.
“Motaung assured me that it is not that the contract funds are depleted, but that Matela was waiting for the next payment from the provincial government in order to continue with the project,” says Nel.
Vista spoke to workers on the road who confirmed there had been a slight delay at the end of July, but that the road works continue.
Further along the road at the notorious stretch of road towards Bothaville, the traffic volume and the speed of the motorists is being controlled by a stop-and-go system.
This stretch of road gained notoriety for its high rate of fatal accidents in 2022 when more than 40 people died, and at least 60 were injured in accidents along this short stretch of gravel.
Residents of Allanridge feared that the road at Stinkpan would collapse and that the school bus travelling daily between Odendaalsrus and Welkom would sink into the water, drowning the children on board.
The two danger spots are a mere 5 km apart.
The R30 road is being fixed at a cost of in excess of R22 million.
