Cape Town to tackle traffic woes

27 May 2016 - 10:33 By Staff Reporter

There's light at the end of the traffic jam for commuters in the country's most congested city, Cape Town.In addition to R750-million budgeted to tackle the worst bottlenecks over the next five years, the City of Cape Town is putting the finishing touches to a strategy to beat congestion."There will be a range of projects identified which will include adding capacity to existing links, and capacity improvements at key intersections," says a report to next week's Transport for Cape Town committee.The first three bottlenecks to be tackled are in Blaauwberg, Kommetjie and Kuils River.Construction is under way or complete on 10 Kuils River projects, which will cost R340-million.In the Kommetjie project work is due to start in July and R100-million will be spent.In Blaauwberg one project has begun and three more will start next month, costing R219-million in total.Eleven other congestion-relieving projects are being considered.These are the M3 from Tokai to Hospital Bend; the M5 and Main Road; the N1 and N2; access to the V&A Waterfront; the Voortrekker Road-Vanguard Drive intersection; the Vanguard Drive-Viking Way intersection; Sable Road extension; the R300 extension to the M5; Voortrekker Road between Vanguard Drive and Prestige Drive; and the expansion of Wetton Road between Wetton Circle and Chukker Road.The report is at pains to say that "it is not possible to build our way out of congestion".But it adds: "The capacity of the existing road network cannot be ignored and must be improved."..

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