George residents will soon note an increase in road works all over town, heralding wide-spread upgrading of roads used by the GO GEORGE bus service.
A list of George Integrated Public Transport Network infrastructure requirements was assessed by the National Department of Transport which subsequently allocated additional Public Transport National Grant funding for some of the projects needed to improve and expand GO GEORGE infrastructure. The upgrade projects will address several infrastructure categories approved by the George Municipal Council, starting with road rehabilitation in August.
First projects
Work on the following streets will start in August: Beer and O’Connell Streets in Rosemoor, Airway Road in Heather Park, and Protea Street in Pacaltsdorp. Work on the Wellington/Stockenström Street intersection started in July already.
Streets earmarked for rehabilitation were selected based on physical inspections to identify areas showing critical signs of deterioration. Rehabilitation will entail reparation of severe crocodile cracking, structural failures and low points on roads where stormwater concentrates without catch pits, rightsizing of intersections, road re-alignments and kerbside improvements to conform with universal accessibility requirements.
Communication with passengers
According to Morné Lakay, GO GEORGE Manager, the communication team will constantly alert and update the public regarding planned roadworks that will impact the bus services. “From our side, we’ll do our best to keep passengers informed and to help them plan their trips according to the temporary deviations,” he said. “Whether rerouting or one-direction routing, the adjustments will be designed for the minimum inconvenience to passengers while allowing the construction teams to complete their work safely and on schedule. We call on our passengers to be patient and to focus on the outcome of safe and reliable roads for all road users in George.
”For enquiries or help with trip planning, the GO GEORGE Call Centre agents are available on 0800 044 044 seven days a week, from 05:00 until 20:00. Other sources of support and information include the GO GEORGE communication champions, the info kiosk at the Transport Hub, the GO GEORGE Facebook page and accessing the route maps and timetables pages.