The City of Cape Town’s transport authority, Transport for Cape Town (TCT), will spend about R64 million on the extension of Jip de Jager Drive in Durbanville, to relieve traffic congestion.
The project, which is part of the City’s congestion management programme approved by council in December, is set to start in the next two weeks.
The programme dictates how TCT will spend an extra R750 million over five years for road projects to ease pressure points in the city.
“The northern section of Jip de Jager Drive currently ends a few hundred metres after the intersection with Van Riebeeckshof Road at the Vineyard Office Estate in Durbanville.
“We will now embark on construction work to extend Jip de Jager Drive all the way to Racecourse Road, otherwise known as the M13,” said Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport.
The new sections will add an additional 1.7km to the existing road.
“Once completed, the new road will alleviate traffic congestion on the other suburban roads in the Durbanville area and cater for the increased demand for road space due to rapid developments to the north,” Mr Herron said.
The new sections are expected to improve residents’ access to residential and commercial areas, as well as schools.
“The new sections will provide motorists with a more direct route between Durbanville and the N1 freeway. It will divert a significant volume of traffic from Tygerberg Valley and Van Riebeeckshof roads. In fact, once the extension is completed, the travel distance between Van Riebeeckshof Road and St John Road will be shortened by nearly 2km,” said Mr Herron.
New traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Jip de Jager Drive (south) and Tygerberg Valley Road, and at the intersection of Jip de Jager Drive (north) and Racecourse Road.
“The new northern and southern sections of Jip de Jager Drive will be a single carriageway. However, the intersections are designed to accommodate a dual carriageway in future,” said Mr Herron.
The project also provides for cycle lanes on the shoulders of the new sections of Jip de Jager Drive.
TCT anticipates some disruptions along Racecourse Road and Tygerberg Valley Road, but only a few months down the line when the construction has reached an advanced stage. Any lane closures to accommodate the roadworks will be limited to off-peak periods as far as possible.
“The construction period is about 14 months, if all goes according to plan. I want to thank residents in advance for their patience during this period.
“We are aware that the roadworks may cause some inconvenience, but once completed residents and visitors to this area will greatly benefit from this project,” said Mr Herron.