Broadway Boulevard, a widely used section of road in Somerset West, is undergoing a widening and upgrade project. It is set to be completed by July 2020. The project is headed by the City of Cape Town, in conjunction with the South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL). It commenced in January of this year, and will cost approximately R78-million to complete.
“The Broadway Boulevard upgrade project is expected to take 18 months to complete, pending unforeseen delays and weather conditions,” said Felicity Purchase, Mayco Member for Transport. “We will implement the roadworks in a phased approach in order to minimise disruption to the traffic flow and to keep congestion as low as possible.”
The timelines for the phases are as follows:
Phase 1 – January 2019 to June 2020
Phase 2 – January 2020 to February 2020
Phase 3 – February 2020 to July 2020
The construction work will stretch from Beach Road through the De Beers (R44/N2) Interchange. Night work will take place on the intersection between March and July 2020.
“Roadworks always come with a level of inconvenience. However, once completed, the upgrades will bring the much-needed relief from the heavy traffic congestion currently being experienced in this area,” Purchase said.
The upgrades entail:
Additional lanes – in both directions
Pedestrian and cycle facilities
The project will see the construction of a 2 m wide sidewalk and two 2,5 m wide bridges over the N2 overpass for pedestrians and cyclists. Construction of these bridges will require the temporary closure of the N2 over specific weekends. Traffic will be diverted via the off- and on-ramps and the public will be notified once the dates have been confirmed.
New street lighting
The existing street lighting will receive an upgrade and additional lighting will be added. The existing lampposts will be refitted with LED lamps. The current streetlights may not be operational during construction as underground cables will be relocated.
Water supply
The existing bulk water mains will be maintained during this time which may result in some areas experiencing low water pressure. Every effort will be made to minimise the possibility of water outages.
Stormwater infrastructure
The works include the construction, modification and extension of existing stormwater infrastructure.
Traffic accommodation
Broadway Boulevard carries significant volumes of traffic and therefore the current number of lanes will remain operational during the construction period. Traffic will then be redirected. The road surface will be milled down resulting in an uneven road surface while the construction work is under way.
Intersection upgrades
The intersections and traffic signals at Beach Road, De Beers Avenue, Old Paardevlei Road and the N2 on- and off-ramps will be upgraded. The intersection upgrades will take place at night over a few weekends to minimise the negative impact on traffic. Night work is anticipated to commence in March 2020.
“Temporary road closures may be called for due to unforeseen circumstances. We urge road users to adhere to road signs, be patient and exercise caution during the construction period,” Purchase added.
Picture: Pixabay
