Cabinet has approved has approved a five-year road infrastructure strategy to prevent further deterioration of the country's road network, acting Transport Minister Jeff Radebe told Parliament.

Speaking during his Budget vote, Radebe said renewed attention had been focused on infrastructure development and upgrading across the transport sector.

"Roads in developing urban and rural areas are generally inadequate, both for reasons of historic neglect and for reasons of regional population shift and growth.

"It is estimated that funding levels required to address the rural roads backlog is 56 billion rand for all provincial roads and R8-billion for roads under the national roads agency.

"To meet this challenge, Cabinet has approved a five-year strategy road infrastructure strategy, to prevent further deterioration of our roads network," Radebe stated.

He added that the Transport Department was also working with its provincial counterparts and major stakeholders on a major overload control infrastructure programme dealing with reckless overloading.

"It is based on the construction of a strategic network of traffic control centres and fixed weigh stations on major roads, supported by mobile weigh stations on alternative roads in the main freight corridors.

"Related to this initiative, as part of the department's freight transport strategic intervention of promoting a modal shift from road to rail, the department has embarked on a programme which includes joint venture projects with the Eastern Cape and KwaZuluNatal departments of transport to revive railway lines that have been classified as low and light density lines," he said.

Radebe added that the National Roads Agency was involved in efforts to improve the primary road network.

"Although the issue of tolling has become a contentious public debate in our country, it is very important to note that the existing concession roads have embedded within them a combined private sector investment value of R5.2-billion, of which R1.37-billion is in the form of direct foreign investment," he explained.

"Approximately 1,350 km of national roads are being upgraded and maintained without making any demands on tax-based revenue," he added.

Some key projects had been undertaken by various provinces, including the provision of infrastructure in previously underdeveloped areas, access road development, labour-based employment creation projects as well as maintenance and rehabilitation, Radebe stated.

"Provincial budgets will increase by 7.5% from R4.7-billion in 2002/03 to R5.1-billion in 2003/04.

"It is also projected that there will be further increases of the order of 9.5% over the MTEF period, reaching R6.2-billion in 2005/06.

"I must stress that I expect full compliance with the Growth and Development Summit call for transport infrastructure, particularly but not exclusively, rural roads to make use of labour intensive methods of construction.

"Of course, these will need to be integrated with engineering requirements associated with sustainability and safety."

Radebe also revealed that the revision of the National Ports Authority Bill was nearly complete and would be submitted shortly.