Road junction open to traffic
03 November 2020 | Infrastructure
ERWIN LEUSCHNER
SWAKOPMUND
The junction at the eastern entrance to Swakopmund and 33 km of tarred road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay – including two new bridges over the Swakop River – were officially opened to traffic at the weekend.
“The official opening of the entire route will probably take place in March 2021, when the remaining 15 km (between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund) have been paved and the two new bridges (over the railway line at Swakopmund and over the Omaruru River) are complete,” Roads Authority (RA) managing director Conrad Lutombi said.
Road safety
Veikko Nekundi, deputy minister of works and transport, expressed concern about one aspect of the new junction, saying that motorists driving from Henties Bay to Swakopmund have to stop and turn onto the trunk road. The same is true for motorists driving towards Walvis Bay from Swakopmund.
“This can lead to accidents,” he said.
However, Lutombi said that the junction from Henties Bay to Swakopmund will not be opened to traffic for the time being and that motorists will have to use another junction instead.
“We are considering whether we will set up a traffic light at this junction,” Lutombi said. He called on motorists to be careful, especially since it is the first motorway junction in the Erongo Region and drivers are not used to it.
Goodbye, salt road
According to Lutombi, the expansion of the road from Walvis Bay to Henties Bay will include almost 200 km of asphalt. He put the total investment at around N$2.1 billion.
The tarring of the road from Henties Bay to Uis will begin in the foreseeable future, according to him. “Our goal is to pave the entire stretch from Walvis Bay to Kamanjab by 2025,” Lutombi said.
SWAKOPMUND
The junction at the eastern entrance to Swakopmund and 33 km of tarred road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay – including two new bridges over the Swakop River – were officially opened to traffic at the weekend.
“The official opening of the entire route will probably take place in March 2021, when the remaining 15 km (between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund) have been paved and the two new bridges (over the railway line at Swakopmund and over the Omaruru River) are complete,” Roads Authority (RA) managing director Conrad Lutombi said.
Road safety
Veikko Nekundi, deputy minister of works and transport, expressed concern about one aspect of the new junction, saying that motorists driving from Henties Bay to Swakopmund have to stop and turn onto the trunk road. The same is true for motorists driving towards Walvis Bay from Swakopmund.
“This can lead to accidents,” he said.
However, Lutombi said that the junction from Henties Bay to Swakopmund will not be opened to traffic for the time being and that motorists will have to use another junction instead.
“We are considering whether we will set up a traffic light at this junction,” Lutombi said. He called on motorists to be careful, especially since it is the first motorway junction in the Erongo Region and drivers are not used to it.
Goodbye, salt road
According to Lutombi, the expansion of the road from Walvis Bay to Henties Bay will include almost 200 km of asphalt. He put the total investment at around N$2.1 billion.
The tarring of the road from Henties Bay to Uis will begin in the foreseeable future, according to him. “Our goal is to pave the entire stretch from Walvis Bay to Kamanjab by 2025,” Lutombi said.
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