Huguenot Tunnel 'does need fixing'

Sanral says the reasons for opposing the planned upgrades of the Huguenot Tunnel are largely unfounded.

Cape Town - Reasons for opposing the planned upgrades of the Western Cape's Huguenot Tunnel were largely unfounded, roads agency Sanral said on Tuesday.

"This is the right information," said Huguenot Tunnel project manager Tiago Massingue at a press briefing in Cape Town. "Nothing said before has ever been more precise," he said.

Since the implementation of e-tolls in Gauteng, the proposal to similarly toll Cape Town, and the ensuing litigation by the City of Cape Town, Sanral has frequently been on the receiving end of the public's wrath. With Tuesday's briefing, Sanral hoped to communicate why the upgrades were necessary.

Proposed changes to the four kilometre-long, 27-year-old Huguenot Tunnel included improving capacity, air quality, and ventilation. This cost, according to SANRAL, would total between R1 billion and R1.5 billion. "The only thing that looks great is the structural integrity," said Massingue as he discussed the concrete structure of which the tunnel was made.

Massingue pointed out, however, that should an accident occur, such as a fire, and the necessary upgrades had not been implemented, the integrity of the structure would undoubtedly be compromised. Thus, argued Sanral, upgrades needed to occur sooner rather than later.

The goal was to complete upgrades to the Huguenot Tunnel - the south bore by December 2016 while the north bore would take three years. But, regional manager JC van der Walt said litigation by the City of Cape Town had slowed matters down and would continue to increase the costs of routine refurbishments to the tunnel.

Furthermore, claims by the province's Chamber of Commerce that the Huguenot Tunnel project had already been paid for were incorrect said van der Walt. "They have not got their facts right," he said. He added that the number cited by media reports - that of the R48 billion profit Sanral would allegedly make from tolling Cape Town - was miscalculated and failed to take into account expenditure after the initial work had been done.

"It's nonsense man," said van der Walt, who urged South Africans to consider how, just as a house required ongoing maintenance, the tunnel needed constant upgrades. "People need to understand it can't last forever as [it] is," he emphasised.

ANA