Construction work on the national road that stretches through Makhado (Louis Trichardt) is well under way.

This project, funded by the South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL), will run between Makhado (Louis Trichardt) and Matoks. Because of the recent heavy rainfall in the region, the completion date of the project had to be extended.

Work done on this stretch of road is expected to be completed by the end of December this year.

Not only will the road surface be fixed, but a traffic circle will be built at the Elim-road intersection. Repair work done to the N1 has already started with the grading of the road surface. Problem areas are fixed and then covered with a slurry mix before it can be covered up again with a smooth tar layer. After the tar layer, road marks will be repainted on the surface.

For the traffic circle, work on the vehicle bypass strips is nearly complete. The bypass strips will enable motorists to still drive on the N1 while construction work will move to the middle of the road, where the traffic circle will be built.

If the weather permits it, the bypass will be completed in three weeks’ time.

The newspaper was able to determine that this will see the implementation of stop-and-go points before and after the Elim intersection. There will be no construction work during school and public holidays.