The multi-million rand project to upgrade Cedar road in Fourways has finally been completed with Gauteng MEC for roads and Transport Ismail Vadi officially opening the road on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening Vadi said his department had reached another milestone in providing world-class road infrastructure.

Partnering for service delivery

The R87 million project was a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department and Steyn City Development.

“This is in line with the provincial government’s commitment to working closely with the private sector in improving and delivering on essential transport infrastructure in the province,” MEC Vadi said

The provincial department said in recent years, the Gauteng government’s partnership with the private sector and the City of Johannesburg has resulted in more than a R6.5 billion injection into the Steyn City development, which includes the construction of a new arterial road (R511) and infrastructure for basic services.

Reduced travel times and easy access

The expected benefits for motorists include improved road user mobility; increased roadway capacity; reduced travel times; easier access to business, residential and agricultural estates as well as improved road safety.

“The first phase of Cedar Road improvement, which was completed in 2016, included upgrading the road into a dual carriageway and improving its pavement life from Valley to Runnymead Roads.

“The recently undertaken road construction involved widening the remainder of Cedar Road into a dual carriageway. This consisted of applying new pavement layers, upgrading of the storm water system, construction of pedestrian walkways and the application of new road markings,” the Department of said.

Further investments

Currently, the Department of Roads and Transport is also undertaking the major rehabilitation of the N14 valued at R444 million.

Furthermore, the department has welcomed the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers citing an improvement in the paved road network in Gauteng.