Lilian Ngoyi Street: Morero says underground tunnels drove R192m cost
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has challenged criticism of the R192 million cost of rehabilitating Lilian Ngoyi Street, saying the project cannot be judged by the road surface alone because extensive work has been carried out beneath the street.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero reaffirmed the city's commitment to reopening Lilian Ngoyi Street by the end of October, despite ongoing delays due to cash-flow issues. The project, which began after a gas explosion in July 2023 killed one person and caused extensive damage, has faced numerous obstacles. In August, the city terminated its original contractor due to poor performance, leading to the hiring of a new team, Korone Engineering, to complete the R230-million rehabilitation.
Project manager Floyd Brink defended the project's complexity and cost, citing the deep excavations and extensive services buried beneath the road. Engineers had to dig up to 5 meters deep, compared to 1 meter for typical roadwork, to access and repair underground tunnels, water pipes, and other services. The city has already invested R40 million in the tunnel's reconstruction, including gas and smoke detectors and real-time monitoring systems.
Despite the significant investment, Brink expressed confidence that the expenditure was justified by the project's scale and complexity. The City has also allocated a 20% contingency fund for unforeseen challenges.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
