A “sky bridge” across two of Cape Town’s busiest roads is expected to open up economic opportunities for many of the city’s poorest residents.
Work on the bridge is due to start next year, unlocking one of the city’s worst traffic bottlenecks, creating thousands of jobs and easing the flow of people from the sprawling Cape Flats to the city centre, say council officials.
The 6.2m high bridge, or elevated traffic circle, is the first of its kind in South Africa and will take four years to build.
It will be built at the busy intersection of Jan Smuts Drive and Govan Mbeki Road (formerly Lansdowne Road) in Lansdowne to the southeast of the city. Along with cycling and pedestrian lanes it will be for the exclusive use of the MyCiti bus service, speeding up public transport in a city that can no longer rely on a suburban train network that is operated by the central government, which has allowed it to fall into disrepair.
The significance of the sky bridge cannot be exaggerated, according to officials who have described it as an economic lifeline for some of the most deprived parts of Cape Town. The project will benefit the neighbouring suburbs of Hanover Park, Philippi, Lansdowne, Wetton, Gugulethu, Nyanga and even Mitchells Plain.
It’s also an imaginative project that could help the city to put behind it some of the mockery for a freeway that ends in midair on the city Foreshore. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the bridge will showcase innovative engineering and will extend the MyCiti bus service to the city’s neglected southeast.
Hill-Lewis says projects such as a sky bridge and the expansion of road networks are critical to building the city’s infrastructure. R15m has been budgeted for temporary jobs on the bridge and another R15m for local residents who are registered on the local jobseekers database and will be trained for the construction work. The mayor has appealed to communities to protect teams working on the bridge and roads from acts of violence and intimidation. It seems clear he has construction mafias in mind.
The Western Cape government, the municipality and communities in the Athlone district, of which Lansdowne is part, have welcomed the building of the bridge, saying it will be an improvement for many. Local people interviewed say the investment in the bridge will help reduce unemployment and poverty and will attract investment to the area. Hill-Lewis says the bridge will also improve safety for motorists and pedestrians, and lead to a mushrooming of more developments.
The city says it is aware of the impact the construction industry and procurement have on millions of people across the province, not just in upmarket locations, but in the heart of the Cape Flats. “The city has a responsibility to make sure people are at the forefront of the development plans, which is why labour will be sourced locally,” says Hill-Lewis.
By creating special bus lanes, the city hopes to deliver an efficient MyCiti service between Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont without being delayed by general traffic congestion. Such a system already operates effectively along the west coast to Milnerton, Table View and Melkbos.
Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas tells the FM: “We are working day and night to improve our public transport service offering to Capetonians. Public transport should be accessible, convenient, affordable, reliable and safe. We are committed to these goals. Improved mobility means improved productivity, more jobs and economic growth, and better lives and futures for all of us who call Cape Town home.”
Hill-Lewis says: “Every resident of our city should have access to world-class public transport. This is not the preserve of wealthy areas, but for all areas and residents. Dedicated infrastructure such as [the sky bridge] is smart and cutting-edge, and also helps build community pride.”
As with most road upgrade projects, lane closures will be necessary and will remain in place until April 2024.
Residents have hailed the project as transformative, and one that will make life much easier for them, in terms of commuting.
Imam Davids, a community leader in Hanover Park, tells the FM: “Let’s see what happens after construction has started. It’s a good project and if it works as they say it will, then it will solve a lot of problems for us. Besides creating job opportunities, mobility will be much easier than before.”
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