After eight years and R340 million later, the upgrade of the scenic stretch of coastal road between the towns of Muizenberg and Fish Hoek is finally complete.
It’s been nearly a decade since the roadworks began, and now Capetonians – along with the soon-to-be-noticed influx of summer visitors – can look forward to visiting these iconic seaside hubs once again without the stop/go delays and congestion which has been the norm since 2008.
Among the upgrades to the Main Road is a stylish new retaining wall at Clovelly, at the site of the abandoned Clovelly Station which had become defunct and dilapidated over the years. The pedestrian walkway above this wall and adjacent traffic lanes have been widened to accommodate 20 000 vehicles which pass through daily.
City of Cape Town mayoral committee member Brett Herron confirmed on Thursday that some final minor snags would be fixed by the end of the week. “We have used state-of-the-art technology to stabilise and compact the soil to ensure that it has sufficient bearing capacity for the foundations of the retaining wall. This technology saved us up to six months’ working time.”
New streetlights, stormwater infrastructure and low-voltage electricity cables have also been installed along the stretch as part of the upgrades.
The most intensive phase of the upgrades was the rehabilitation of the road base layers and surfacing of the Main Road between Atlantic Road, Muizenberg and Clovelly Road leading to Fish Hoek. ““We estimate that the investment in Main Road will extend the lifecycle of the road by at least another 20 years without the need for major maintenance,” said Herron.
Photography Courtesy
