If you have ever found yourself leaving the deep south in the morning in an attempt to get to the CBD by say 8, or even 9AM, you will know how heavy the traffic is.

Or was.

As upgrades along the Kalk Bay Main Road stretch came to an (eventual) end, the flow of traffic returned back to normal.

But it might not stay that way.

On Monday, the long-awaited R171 million upgrade to Kommetjie Road and Ou Kaapseweg will commence – and last for as long as 30 months. According to iol:

The upgrades are designed to relieve congestion on the main traffic routes and key intersections in the Kommetjie area as part of the city’s congestion management programme.

Peak-hour on the roads leading to and from Kommetjie, Sun Valley, Sunnydale, Masiphumelele, Capri, Imhoff’s Gift and Ocean View exceeds three hours.

Infrastructure interventions will cater for pedestrians and cyclists as well as queue-jumping lanes for public transport vehicles such as minibus taxis and buses.

Underground water mains, new stormwater infrastructure and the relocation of electrical cables and ducting for fibre-optic cables will also be done during the road works.

But there is good news. Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said:

…it is a contract requirement that two-way traffic flow be maintained at all times for the duration of the project.

These precautions are stipulated in the project contractto try and limit the inconvenience and delays to traffic as far as reasonably possible and not to worsen the current traffic congestion.

According to iol, here’s what the upgrades will include:

• Upgrading Kommetjie Road (M65) to a four-lane dual carriageway between Capri Drive and Corsair Way. The existing roadway will be rehabilitated.
• Upgrading Ou Kaapseweg (M6) to a four-lane carriageway between Noordhoek Main Road and Kommetjie Road, while rehabilitating the existing roadway.
• Upgrading the intersection at Ou Kaapseweg and Silvermine Road to improve the sight distance for road users.
• Upgrading four signalised intersections with additional turning lanes on Kommetjie Road and Capri Drive and Kommetjie Road and Ou Kaapseweg, and at Ou Kaapseweg and Buller Louw Boulevard and Ou Kaapseweg and Noordhoek Main Road.
• Queue-jumping lanes will be installed on Kommetjie Road at the intersection with Ou Kaapseweg. Three-metre wide pedestrian walkways will be constructed on either side of Kommetjie Road and Ou Kaapseweg to be shared with cyclists.
• The carriageways will also have 2.4 metre wide shoulders to accommodate cyclists.

So what exactly do they mean they say rehabilitate? Well:

More than 500 young trees will be planted along the Kommetjie Road and Ou Kaapseweg, and new streetlights and benches will be installed. Herron has appealed to motorists to opt for public transport, car-pooling and car sharing to ease travel time during peak periods.

I am pretty stoked I don’t live that side anymore, although I am excited for three years’ time when the upgrades are complete.

If Kalk Bay Main Road is anything to go by, it’s going to be so sexy – a look the deep south definitely needs to catch on to.

[source: iol]