The City of Johannesburg has started the roll-out of its R365-million work to upgrade the Soweto Freeway, M1 and M2 highways to improve mobility on the municipal roads.

This is part of the City’s R110-billion infrastructure investment over 10 years that is also directed at changing the spatial design of the metropolitan in a bid to ease congestion and flooding on the city’s roads.

In addition, R152-million has been earmarked for the construction and rehabilitation of bridges across the city.

City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Councillor Parks Tau says a total of R1.4-billion has been budgeted to improve roads, storm water infrastructure and bridges in the 2015/2016 financial year.

In making the announcement of the projects roll-out in Newtown, Mayor Tau says all these major infrastructure projects will be undertaken by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

Mayor Tau indicates that the major infrastructure projects are in line with a holistic strategy to overhaul the City’s roads infrastructure and ensure a better life for all residents through the transformation of the City’s spatial form.

“The upgrade of our roads infrastructure is part of our efforts to create a better future for our residents where we can link jobs to people and people to jobs – in line with the objectives of our spatial transformation programme, the Corridors of Freedom,” says Tau.

Transit-oriented development

In recent years, under the leadership of Mayor Tau, the city has launched a number of initiatives to ensure its growth strategy is based on the principles of transit-oriented development.

During recent inspections of 814 bridges in the city, which boast an asset value of R15-billion, the JRA found that some required rehabilitation such as upgrades, construction and expansion.

These include the Oxford, Federation and Double-Decker bridges on the M1 freeway, where work will start in September.

Work will also be carried out on the Nelson Mandela, Booysens Road, Queen Elizabeth and Le Roux Avenue bridges.

In addition, R50-million has been allocated for the resurfacing of the M1 freeway, while R10-million will be spent on improvements to the M2 highway.

Overall, R222-million will be spent this year on road resurfacing across the city. Work is also underway on the Naledi Bridge in Soweto, to link the communities of Naledi and Protea.

Pedestrian and vehicular bridges in Soweto prone to flooding, including the Jabulani/Molapo, Kinini- Leselinyala, Zulu, Mzilikazi, Kaalfontein, Klipspruit West, Slovo Park and Diepsloot bridges, will all be raised above the flood line.

A further nine bridges have been repaired and reconstructed at a cost R49.4 million after being damaged due to flooding last year.

These include the culverts in Main Road in Riverbend Agricultural Holdings, Felstead Road in Northriding, Third Street in Chartwell, Watercombe Street in Farmall Agricultural Holdings, Niven Road in Douglasdale and Coleraine Drive in Sandton.

Work on bridges in Cornelius Road over the Klein Jukskei River in Weltevreden Park, Ballyclare Drive over the Braamfontein Spruit in Bryanston and the Riverside Road Bridge in Ivory Park was also carried out.