Bitumen Shortage

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

MEDIA RELEASE

6 FEBRUARY 2012

Bitumen shortage continues, City reprioritising roadworks

The national bitumen shortage which began in the second half of 2011 has continued into the new year and seems likely to persist until April 2012.  

At present the oil refineries in Durban and Gauteng are experiencing difficulties with producing bitumen, while the local Cape Town refinery will shut down for maintenance from 17 February to 2 April 2012 and not produce bitumen during that time. Consequently, road surfacing asphalt, which is made from bitumen, sand and stone, is in extremely short supply, leading to delays in road construction and maintenance.

The City of Cape Town’s Capital Road Projects that may be affected include Kalk Bay, Muizenberg Main Road, many of the Metro main road rehabilitation projects, the Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) projects and IRT/MyCiTi intersection projects.

Maintenance activities such as road reseals and trench reinstatements may also be affected.

“The City will monitor the situation closely and assign priority to delayed works once the bitumen supply normalises. We thank our residents for their understanding and patience during this shortage,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, Councillor Brett Herron.

End

Issued by: Communication Department, City of Cape Town

Media enquiries: Councillor Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, City of Cape Town, Tel: 021 400 1298 or Cell: 082 518 3264