Mauritius: Today, the Ministry of National Infrastructure and Community Development organised a soft launching ceremony of the partly realigned Savanne Road (A9) in collaboration with the Road Development Authority (RDA) in Tyack. This realignment was carried out in the context of the Rivière des Anguilles Dam project at Tyack.
Following the ceremony, a site visit was also undertaken at La Flora, in the margins of works currently being undertaken to upgrade Savanne Road (A9) from La Flora to Tyack.
The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy; the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS), Dr Muhammad Ismael Rawoo; and other personalities were present on this occasion.
In a statement, Minister Padayachy highlighted that this project bears testimony to the infrastructural development currently underway around Mauritius. He remarked that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the Government’s priorities remained the development and modernisation of the island.
For his part, Minister Lesjongard underlined that this realignment project is a first step towards the construction of the Rivière des Anguilles Dam. The works carried out, he stated, will further ensure a smooth traffic flow and help avoid road accidents in this region.
He reminded that the Rivière des Anguilles Dam project, for which some Rs 9 billion have been earmarked, will provide water to inhabitants of the island’s southern region. Tenders will be launched in the near future for the implementation of this project, he added.
As for Minister Jagutpal, he recalled that several road accidents have been recorded in the past in this region. He observed that the realignment project thus provides more security to road users.
PPS Rawoo, for his part, indicated that a third lane is also under construction from La Flora to Tyack with the aim of ensuring more traffic fluidity along the A9 road.
Realignment of part of Savanne Road (A9) at Tyack
The project, to the tune of some Rs 43.5 million, consists of the realignment of part of the Savanne Road at Tyack in view of the construction of the Rivière des Anguilles Dam and eliminating dangerous road bends.
The scope of works consists of, amongst others:
- Realignment of part of Savanne A9 Road over a stretch of 620 metres;
- Construction of a carriageway of 7.0 metres wide and two hard shoulders of 1.5 metres wide on each side as well as an additional lane of 3.5 metres wide over 290 metres;
- Construction of new masonry retaining wall;
- Construction of masonry drain to divert existing irrigation canal;
- Construction of two new bus laybys with shelters;
- Installation of new solar street lighting on realignment stretch;
- Construction of a new footpath interconnecting the two newly constructed bus laybys; and
- Installation of new handrails and guardrails.
Upgrading of Savanne Road (A9) from La Flora to Tyack
In line with the Government’s vision to provide a modern, safe, and efficient land transport system and road network for improved connectivity and mobility of people and goods, the RDA has identified scope for further upgrading the Savanne Road A9 over a length of approximately 7.5 kilometres between La Flora and Tyack villages.Â
The project, to the tune of some Rs 390.9 million, is expected to be completed in September 2024.
The scope of work includes the following:
- Upgrading of Savanne Road (A9) from La Flora to Tyack into a 7.0 metres wide carriageway with hard shoulders of 1.5 meters;
- Construction of crawler lanes of 3.0 metres wide, slip lane at junction Grand Bassin Road (B88) and Savanne Road (A9) and cycle lane of approximately 2.6 meters wide;
- Construction of footbridge across Rivière Dragon;
- Provision of drainage and retaining structures, and upgrading of existing culverts;
- Construction of bus laybys and bus shelters;
- Diversion, protection, modification, and relocation of existing utility services;
Provision of road safety equipment such as, amongst others, traffic lights, road marking, road humps, reflective road studs, traffic signs, information panels, handrails, guardrails, concrete barriers, road/street lighting, and Landscaping works.