The official opening of the M4 North near Boys Town in Durban has restored hope for residents and motorists, who have been forced to use alternative routes following its closure during the floods.

The portion of the road was destroyed during the floods earlier this year that caused widespread damage to infrastructure across KwaZulu-Natal.

The road closure of the portion of M4 saw restricted connectivity between Ilembe and eThekwini.

eThekwini Municipality said the road repair was undertaken in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force, South African National Roads Agency, the City’s Engineering Unit, and eThekwini Transport Authority, led by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Transport.

“This work was done utilising only internal government resources and labour-based methodologies, which employed over 150 workers,” the municipality said.

The municipality added that work to rebuild oThongathi River Bridge, which also collapsed during the floods, is expected to start in mid-September.

Source: South African Government News Agency