May 28, 2003
By Thomas Thale
THE Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) faces the task of building roads infrastructure in townships and informal settlements while maintaining existing roads in other parts of the city.
The city has allocated R175-million to the company in the 2003 / 2004 financial year.
A whopping R102-million of the allocation will be used for the upgrading of existing roads and the construction of new ones.
The JRA was formed in 2001 as a City-owned agency responsible for the maintenance and upgrading of roads infrastructure, including traffic signals, stormwater drainage and actual road surface.
Significant investment will go towards the construction of new roads in informal settlements such as Vlakfontein, Orange Farm, Kliptown, Ivory Park and Doornkop.
The JRA has set itself a 20-year target to eliminate over a thousand kilometres of dirt roads - mainly in townships and informal settlements.
