The City announced on Monday that a new project worth R22m will be carried out to “upgrade and rehabilitate” eight concrete roads.
The roads date back to the 1960s where the apartheid government used rigid concrete for the construction of roads in the Cape Flats. The project includes the construction of new sidewalks with universal access for those with special needs, and the upgrade and replacement of dated stormwater infrastructure. Work is scheduled to being in mid-May and run for exactly a year, if all goes according to plan.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Brett Herron, says the project will do a lot for the safety of pedestrians. “We will be rehabilitating and reconstructing over 2,1 km of concrete roads, and some of the existing roads may need to be widened as well. We will also build new sidewalks, and importantly, speed humps will be installed along these roads to slow down traffic.
“The measures will go a long way in improving the safety of pedestrians, in particular the most vulnerable road users such as children and older people.” Once completed, all of the new roads will have a bitumen-rubber tarmac layer. Existing stormwater infrastructure will also be replaced where needed.
Herron says the replacement of dated stormwater gullies and pipework will prevent the roads from being flooded during downpours. This will increase the roads’ longevity, and also improve the driving conditions in wet weather. “We refer to the work to be done as a fence-to-fence improvement of the road reserve which will be of great benefit to the communities living in the vicinity of the roads.”
Residents in the area will have access to temporary jobs while construction is being carried out.
