Johannesburg - The Johannesburg Roads Agency says that the roads in and around the city will be of a world class standard ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
"We expect thousands of visitors during the World Cup period so we have to make sure that we have not only safe roads but a world class infrastructure," the agency's spokesperson, Advocate Thulani Makhubela said on Tuesday.
He said that despite the current economic meltdown, which had affected almost everyone in the country, as the city's roads agency they were still on track to complete the roads and construction on time.
Visitors would be left with an experience of the world class city, he added.
The city's road infrastructure is expected to be on par, if not better, with the standard of Germany's roads when it hosted the tournament in 2006 as well as France's roads when it hosted it in 1998.
The agency has begun a major project to resurface roads, build side walks next to the city's busiest roads, patching up potholes and installing traffic signals. As part of road maintenance, the agency will inject about R49 million in repairing and replacing storm-water pipes.
For the event itself, the agency will further install anti-interrupted power system to avoid the switching-off of traffic lights in the city's busiest streets and intersections during the world biggest sporting event.
About R10 million will be spent on setting up tourism signs and temporary directional signs at venues such as Ellis Park, training grounds, team base camps as well park and ride facilities.
