The creation of toll roads would help to create thousands of jobs for residents and improve the condition of Cape Town’s most vital roads, the South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) says.
The agency is planning to establish a R10 billion toll project on the N1 and N2, involving 175km.
This would include a 105km stretch on the N1 between the Old Oak Interchange and Sandhills, and a 70km section of the N2, from west of Swartklip to Bot River.
Construction on the project would start in the middle of next year, with pedestrian bridges being built, roads widened and lanes added to the freeways.
The City of Cape Town is strongly opposed to the project.
Its key objections are that the project would have huge cost implications for poor communities near the toll roads, and that increased road maintenance costs would lead to higher rates for residents.
The city has accused Sanral of failing to address its concerns and, in a bid to halt the project, has filed an application with the Western Cape High Court.
Sanral has released a statement outlining the project, which it says would preserve the region’s most vital roads.
It says its investigations found that the roads, constructed around 30 years ago, were nearing the end of their design life.
Sanral warned that sections would begin deteriorating “very rapidly”.
As it was, there were uneven surfaces and pavement failure.
“Because of their strategic importance to the economy… the roads were declared toll roads by the Department of Transport to ensure revenue for their upkeep,” Sanral said in its statement.
It had carried out economic impact assessments with UCT’s Graduate School of Business that indicated price hikes would be minimal on fruit and other goods transported along the roads. The highest potential increase was 0.31 percent.
Sanral said in the statement that a cost benefit analysis had indicated that goods would actually be cheaper once the tolls came into effect.
Also, logistics companies could claim the amounts they paid in toll fees from the SA Revenue Service.
The project could create as many as 5 000 jobs in the construction phase.
Seventy percent of these jobs would be given to residents in “local communities”, Sanral said.
Some of measures to improve road safety would include variable message signs and the construction of pedestrian bridges.
Closed-circuit TV cameras would be installed on “critical sections” of both roads, and more lighting would be introduced.
It was hoped there would be less congestion, specifically in areas between Durban Road and Kraaifontein along the N1, the statement said.
Several lanes, including the stretch between Borcherds Quarry and the Swartklip interchange, would be widened.
In response to accusations that Sanral had not consulted, the agency said it had 52 meetings with “provincial authorities” and 24 meetings with the city.
[email protected] - Cape Argus