By Nangamso Mabindla

Doing business in Beacon Bay, an upmarket suburb in East London, has just become easier with the opening of a new off-ramp from the N2.

Speaking at the opening yesterday, Buffalo City Executive Deputy Mayor Des Halley said the completion of the R4,2-million off-ramp marked a milestone in the area's development.

The off-ramp would increase the number of visitors to Beacon Bay Retail Park by 15% a month, Councillor Halley said. Currently, about 400 000 people visit the shopping center every month.

The 570-metre stretch of road took five months to construct.

The off-ramp would best serve the residents of Gonubie, which is north east of East London. Instead of having to take a circuitous route along minor roads, the off-ramp now meant Gonubie residents could get to the center with greater ease, Councillor Halley said.

"They had to go the long way round, past the farms, to get to the shopping centers. Now they can use the off-ramp from the N2."

Leon Schultz, manager of design and project implementation for Buffalo City, said the off-ramp would "bring a much needed economic injection into the Beacon Bay area".

"With the new office sites and other commercial developments in the area, we had to make sure this off-ramp was constructed to make business in Beacon Bay that much smoother," Schultz said.

The deputy mayor also announced yesterday that an off-ramp from the N2 to Gonubie would be constructed within the next three years.

Councillor Hayley thanked everyone involved in the project, including the contractor, Rumdel Construction, and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Transport Area for initiating the project. Eskom donated the land to the municipality as part of their social responsibility programme.