MEC William Bulwane said this whilst addressing road and infrastructure measures taken by the provincial departments, to curb and fix provincial roads, which are in a bad state, including the R30.

Also read: Accident-ridden R30 road in Free State re-opened

Since the end of January 2022, at least 15 accidents have been recorded, with some motorists who lost their lives when they drowned next to this road.  

Also read: Notorious R30 in Free State closed

MEC Bulwane says that temporary measures are in place at the R30 to ensure road-user safety, but driver behaviour is still contributing to incidents and accidents at the site.

“On behalf of the Department of Police, Roads and Transport, I would like to take this opportunity to once more acknowledge the challenges faced by the province regarding aging road infrastructure and the impact of severe flooding experienced in the recent past months. The flooding resulted in severe pothole forming, slippages and washing away of pipes and culverts on some of the roads," he adds.

Roads that are receiving facelifts, include the R30 between Allanridge and Bothaville, the R711 between Fouriesburg and Clarens, and the R74 in Oliviershoek Pass, and even roads leading to farming communities across the province.

“On the R711 and R74, assessments are underway with temporary traffic accommodation to ensure road-user safety. However, driver behaviour is still an attribute which contributes to incidents and accidents at the respective areas,” MEC Bulwane further adds.

MEC Bulwane on Thusrday, in the Free State Legislature sitting in the Fourth Raadsaal in Bloemfontein, tabled a departmental budget allocation of R2,793 billion.

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