By Nangamso Mabindla
26 September 2007

THE R72 will be upgraded, after a decision was taken by stakeholders at a summit convened to discuss the busy highway.

The summit was held to explore the future of the coastal road, which links the Eastern Cape’s two major economic hubs, Buffalo City and the Nelson Mandela Metro.

It was organised by Business Eastern Cape and the Department of Roads and Transport, and aimed to canvass stakeholders’ input on the need and urgency for upgrades, the effect the current road had and the expected effect an upgraded road would have on the province’s economy.

People at the summit ranged from local authorities and tourism groups to the two industrial development zones in East London and Coega, development agencies and other interested parties, like the Pineapple Growers’ Association, environmentalists, road freight associations, taxi associations and rural groups.

Speaking at the gathering, the MEC for roads and transport, Thobile Mhlahlo, said that there was a need to improve the R72 because only 95 kilometres of the 260km long road was in an acceptable condition.

"Traffic volumes, especially trucks, on the R72 have increased significantly over the past three years. This is by far the highest trafficked rural road in the province. The capital required to bring the R72 up to standard is R1,5-billion," he said.

Truckers chose the R72 instead of the N2 through Grahamstown because the coastal route had fewer gradients; the journey was also an hour shorter than the N2. However, Mhlahlo said that with 400 loaded trucks travelling along the R72 each day, the road was deteriorating.

Despite these challenges, he said that the department’s routine maintenance helped to keep the road usable. This, however, was not a long-term strategy to keep it in good condition.

Summit stakeholders agreed that it was necessary to upgrade the road for economic and tourism growth. Despite calls for the improvements to be completed before the Fifa 2010 World Cup™, it was agreed that since the project was enormous and expensive, it would not be possible to have it ready in time for the football tournament.

A steering committee was set up to look into the project and to report back to those who attended the summit. Mhlahlo said that communities living along the R72 needed to be involved and that improvements to the road needed to be linked to other networks like maritime, rail and aviation.

The steering committee was tasked with ensuring that all the affected parties would be lobbied to support the upgrading. This was necessary for the MEC to present the proposal to the national government.

Kevin Wakeford, from the Office of the Premier, said that upgrading the R72 was important for the province’s economy, especially for the automotive industry.

"There is a growing demand for Eastern Cape-manufactured vehicles in places like Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal; and the R72 and a good road infrastructure are critical for us to meet those demands," he said, adding that the province accounted for 45 percent of the South African automotive industry.

An upgraded R72 would ensure an improved economy for Buffalo City and the Nelson Mandela Metro.

"We also have 88 trucks carrying agricultural products travelling between these two cities per day. We really need to have a good infrastructure in order to accommodate economic growth. Also, the prosperity of the two cities will be beneficial to other cities," Wakeford said.

"I want to encourage this public-private effort, which could lead to a public-private partnership that will ensure the upgrading of this vital road between our economic hubs."