The City of Cape Town is spending about R18.5 million on the resurfacing of two major arteries to and from the CBD – the elevated freeways and Nelson Mandela Boulevard.
The maintenance work currently under way also involves the application of skid resistant asphalt surfacing.
The project is set to be completed in January next year. All in all, about 5.2km of road surface is being repaired.
Brett Herron, Mayco member for transport, said thousands of vehicles travel on the elevated freeways and Nelson Mandela Boulevard everyday, and the road maintenance could not be delayed.
“Some sections of the outbound lanes of Nelson Mandela Boulevard were resurfaced in 2012, but comprehensive maintenance work on the inbound lanes was last undertaken some 10 years ago. Given the importance of these arteries and the significant volume of traffic they carry, we could not delay the maintenance work any longer. As such, we are now spending about R18.5 million to maintain and preserve this important road infrastructure for future generations.”
Nelson Mandela Boulevard and all six lanes of the elevated freeways are being resurfaced between Walter Sisulu Avenue and De Waal Drive, as are the ramps from and onto FW de Klerk Boulevard, Strand Street and Hertzog Boulevard.
“An exciting aspect of this project is that we are applying ultra-thin frictional coarse (UTFC) surfacing on all of the lanes between the on and off-ramps at FW de Klerk Boulevard and De Waal Drive. UTFC surfacing extends the longevity of roads but, more importantly, it improves skid resistance – meaning these roads will be much safer in wet conditions,” said Mr Herron.
He said the project seems to be on track as the section between the Searle Street ramps and where Nelson Mandela Boulevard crosses Russell Street overhead has already been complete. The roadworks on the elevated freeways and Nelson Mandela Boulevard take place on weekdays, between 7.30pm and 5am, and on weekends, from 8pm on Friday until 5am on Monday. One lane is always open to traffic.
Road users can call the City’s Transport Information Centre, which is available 24 hours a day, for more information on 0800 65 64 63.