The department has committed itself to building a modern and sustainable transport network which connects communities, supports economy and protects the environment. But this is indeed a challenge when set against the backdrop of the country's inherited road and rail backlogs. The top priority is therefore to tackle the legacy of backlogs and the budget allocation strives to achieve that objective. It is, however, not clear how this budget will respond to one of the "triple challenges" that were highlighted by the President in the State of the Nation Address, namely, inequality. Put differently, the budget allocation does not seem to have a rural bias, with a view to addressing the stark contrast between the country's urban and rural state of infrastructure, with the former being relatively in good condition and the latter being under-developed.