Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has confirmed that upgrade work to the M1 Oxford and Federation bridges has reached an end with lanes set to open to traffic from Monday.

The M1 Oxford and Federation bridges will open to three lane traffic in two phases according to the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA).

Three northbound lanes are expected to open on Monday 9 October 2017, while three southbound lanes will open the following Monday 16 October 2017.

The R140 million rehabilitation project began towards the end of 2015 as part of the JRA’S comprehensive investment in strategic infrastructure across the City.

Transport and economic growth go together

Speaking at the M1 Opens event held on Tuesday 3 October, Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said that transport plays an integral part in the City’s economic growth.

“We cannot afford to neglect road infrastructure. Transport projects will deliver employment opportunities to local communities and attract private investment,” he explained.

The project employed nine small medium enterprises investing R13 million and 67 local labourers investing R3 million according to the City of Johannesburg.

“The M1 Opens event comes at a great time where we’re also bringing a focus to Transport Month. The JRA has great initiatives in place,” he added.

Other road rehabilitation projects in the pipeline include the addition of a fourth lane to the M1 northbound and southbound, as well as modifications to the N17 and Joe Slovo to solve capacity issues on the M1 according to JRA Traffic Engineer Esther Schmidt.