Cape Town - After years of traffic congestion complaints from residents, the City announced the construction of a free-standing elevated traffic circle that would soon begin in Hanover Park.
The free-standing elevated traffic circle would be at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road (M9) and Jan Smuts Drive (M17) in Hanover Park, and forms part of the roll-out of MyCiTi services to the metro-south east.
The project, which was described as a hollow circle in the sky, was supposed to benefit the surrounding communities of Hanover Park, Philippi, Lansdowne and Wetton, as well as Yorkshire Estate, and was the first of its kind in South Africa.
Urban Mobility Mayco member Rob Quintas said the project would take nearly four years and would commence on July 7, but residents would only start to see major construction activity on site about three months later after the work area had been properly set up.
“The traffic circle will be about 6,2m above the ground, and will be for the exclusive use of the MyCiTi buses, once complete,” Quintas said.
By separating the MyCiTi buses from general traffic, Quintas said the City would ensure the service operated optimally between Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont, without being delayed by the traffic or congestion at the ground level of the intersection.
“The benefits of the elevated traffic circle and other upgrades are numerous. MyCiTi commuters will get a reliable service that runs on time, travelling times for MyCiTi commuters will be shorter, other road users will benefit from improvements at the intersection below the circle, this will assist with traffic flow and ease congestion, and pedestrians and cyclists will have dedicated lanes separated from the road,” Quintas said.
The project was also set to benefit local job-seekers and subcontractors from the surrounding communities – around R15 million would be spent on temporary work opportunities for residents registered on the local job-seekers database and a further R15 million for local subcontractors to provide goods and services to the main contractor for this project.
“Included in this project are interventions to improve traffic flow with; the reconfiguration of the intersection; dedicated turning lanes; improved traffic signals; and improved signalisation or sequencing, pedestrians and cyclists will benefit from dedicated lanes for walking and cycling along Govan Mbeki Drive and at the intersection, and street lights will be installed to improve visibility and safety at night,” Quintas said.
Quitas added that existing sewer, water and stormwater infrastructure within the road reserve would be relocated and upgraded for improved services to the surrounding communities.