Johannesburg - The Sandton skyline is set to change with the imminent construction of a number of new high-rise buildings above the Gautrain station, which could be up to 45 floors.
Work on the R1.3 billion Kgoro Gateway precinct is expected to start soon following the relocation of the temporary taxi rank to a permanent facility in April.
Kgoro will be a mixed-use precinct developed around a public square.
“This is going to be one of Africa’s premier urban developments which is taking place in the heart of Sandton and is being hailed as an ‘Afropolitan’ meeting place,” said Alan Dinnie, senior manager of development at the Johannesburg Property Company.
In addition to retail and office space, Kgoro Gateway will incorporate a residential and hotel development, as well as an art museum and gallery. The public library will be retained.
The design of the line shops on Rivonia Road and West Street has been completed and contracts awarded to fit out the shops.
The development is a public-private partnership.
The Sandton Gautrain station will become an integrated transport facility, known as a public transport interchange (PTI), which will cater for the train, metered taxis and minibus taxis.
Dinnie said the new Sandton taxi rank on the ground floor of the Gautrain station accommodated 89 vehicles and had a nine-lane routing system.
The PTI provides an ideal landing point for visitors to the city and daily commuters and will enable them to switch between various modes of public transport.
The relocation of the rank was completed following a complex process of negotiations between various stakeholders including the city, the Gauteng government, taxi associations and trade representatives.
The new, high-end taxi rank includes offices, a marshal’s office, security control rooms, a relaxation area for drivers, public restrooms and 22 fully fitted stalls.
With 300 000 vehicles a day entering and leaving Sandton – a number expected to double in the next 10 years – the City of Joburg is in a major drive to encourage people to use public transport.
By October there will be dedicated cycling, pedestrian and public transport lanes, as well as most of the Rea Vaya services.
A new fleet of 150 Metrobus buses will also be operational.
These buses operate on environmentally friendly combustion systems.
In addition, many of the existing Metrobus buses will be retrofitted with a dual fuel system – natural gas and diesel.
The city is also constructing a R130 million pedestrian and cycle bridge over the M1 to cater for the 10 000 people who commute between Alexandra and Sandton.
A BRT bridge will also be constructed over the M1 by the end of next year.
In October, Transport Month, the city will be hosting an international EcoMobility World Festival and Exhibition during which most of the streets in Sandton will be closed off to private vehicles.
At the launch, mayor Parks Tau said the reality was that when Sandton City was built in 1973, the city did not expect the neighbouring area to become the economic epicentre of Joburg.
The Star