Alderman Felicity Purchase, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, attended a sod-turning event on Friday, 7 February 2020, to mark the start of the extension of Belhar Main Road in Kuils River. The project will assist with alleviating traffic congestion in Highbury and surrounding areas, as well as support future developments planned for this area.
The contractor is on-site and has already completed site clearing and will now start with the preparatory works and the installation of stormwater infrastructure.
The construction project is expected to take up to 20 months, if all goes as planned. Given that the City is building a brand new road from scratch, the impact on traffic flow in the vicinity of the works would be minimal.
Work will take place on weekdays from 07:00 till 17:00.
The extension of Belhar Main Road is key to growing the local economy in Kuils River, and will also allow for improved access to and from the area.
‘Any local economy relies on the efficient movement of people and goods. Traffic volumes have increased significantly on Belhar Main Road over the past years, and this is contributing to congestion in Highbury. To address this we have decided to provide a link between Highbury Road and Stellendale Road to improve access for residents and local businesses, as well as visitors. Once completed, Belhar Main Road will make it easier for more people to enter and leave the area. We all know that investors prefer investing in areas with good access routes thus, I expect that the extension of Belhar Main Road will support the growth of the local economy. Also, this project forms part of the City’s efforts to relieve traffic congestion in the worst affected areas in Cape Town,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Felicity Purchase.
The project will link Highbury Road to the Stellenbosch Arterial by extending Belhar Main Road from Highbury Road up to Stellendale Road in Kuils River:
the budget for this project is approximately R49 million
the new road will cover a distance of 1,45 km
there will be surfaced sidewalks along the entire length of the road
traffic flow will be guided by four traffic circles
the new road will be a duelled carriageway from Stellenbosch Arterial to the first traffic circle at Stellendale Road, and thereafter as a single carriageway road
This project will also provide much-needed jobs and skills development to the local community. Up to 3% of the project contract value will be spent on temporary work opportunities to residents from the area, and a further 2% on attaining the services of local enterprises. Residents interested in the temporary work opportunities are encouraged to register on the local subcouncil jobseekers database, and local businesses are reminded that they have to tender for sub-contracts once these are being advertised.
‘This project epitomises our commitment to investing in projects that will reduce traffic congestion. I appeal to residents and motorists to bear with us during the construction period, and to adhere to the signage to ensure that disruptions are kept minimal. Although we are building a new road, residents are reminded that all roadworks come with a degree of inconvenience. We apologise for this and thank our residents and motorists for their understanding and patience,’ said Alderman Purchase.
Source: City Of Cape Town