December 8, 2006
By Lucille Davie
THIS weekend Gautrain traffic disruptions in Rosebank begin in earnest – from midnight on Sunday, 10 December, three blocks of Oxford Road northbound will be closed to traffic for the next three-and-a-half years.
Progress has been made at Gautrain sites around the city. Construction teams have moved in at Park Station, Mushroom Farm Park, Marlboro and Midrand, with earthmoving machines steaming their way into the ground.
"There are 100 engineers on site," says project leader Jack van der Merwe. In addition, there are some 2 000 construction personnel at the five sites.
Van der Merwe says that so far about R2,5-billion of the R23-billion budgeted for the Gautrain has been spent. That equates to R20-million to R30-million spent every day, or R600-million a month.
South of Marlboro Drive, earthmovers is busy excavating a large slice of the earth
The money is being paid in rands, pounds and euros to various foreign contractors. Construction of the R3-billion train has already begun, and a R200-million tunnel-building machine is on its way to South Africa by ship.
He explains that the project consists of a 55 000-item programme that measures progress. "A thousand milestones are linked to a set of activities and money."
Rosebank
Road widening and tree removal operations have been ongoing at Rosebank for several months. Now Monday morning traffic will have to be vigilant to changes in their usual routes to work.
The road diversions will be implemented in a sequential manner, but from Sunday night motorists will turn left into Bolton Road from Oxford Road, then turn right into Sturdee Avenue, turn right into Jellicoe Avenue, and finally, turn left back into Oxford Road, to continue northwards.
All north and southbound public transport will travel along Bath Avenue, which will be converted into a two-way street, in the detour around Oxford Road. Once these diversions are in place, the southbound traffic on Oxford Road will also be diverted so that the Rosebank Station can be built.
Trees have been removed from islands in the suburb to create one-way streets. Tabebuias, washingtonia, celtis and philedendrons have been taken to the Johannesburg Botanic Gardens, Eldorado Park and Immick Park in Soweto.
Park Station
The train's starting point in the CBD, this station will be built underground, running under Wolmarans and Smit streets in Braamfontein, from which a tunnel will run to Rosebank Station.
The demolition of the Central Johannesburg College in Smit Street is almost complete. It will be rebuilt once construction of the Gautrain is complete.
Wolmarans Street will be converted into a two-way street, and traffic from the several blocks in Smit Street that will be closed will be diverted via Joubert Street on to Wolmarans Street.
At present road upgrades to facilitate these diversions are being undertaken. It is expected that on 22 January the diversions will begin. Hoardings will be placed around the work site north and south of Smit Street.
Marlboro
At the Marlboro portal, south of Marlboro Drive, where the high-speed train appears above ground and branches east to OR Tambo International Airport and north to Tshwane, work began in early October. On the border of Alexandra township, a large 250m-long gouge, eventually going down 25 metres, is being excavated.
Bombela project director Charles-Etienne Perrier expects that work on the tunnel will begin in February next year. The tunnel will consist of a five-storey high excavation, carrying two trains going in opposite directions. The tunnel work will be ongoing, 24 hours a day.
The soil from the bank is being taken down the road to the future site of the Marlboro Station, at the intersection of the N3 and Marlboro Drive. Construction of the station is yet to begin.
Mushroom Farm Park
The park will be the future shaft-sinking site from where the underground tunnel between the Marlboro portal and Sandton Station will be excavated.
The north-west corner of the park has been levelled and concreted, and a shaft of some five metres is already in place, with drilling continuing to reach 30 metres. The site has been fenced off, with security checking incoming and outgoing vehicles, a feature of all sites.
Perrier says the site has a waste management system in place. Several large plastic water towers are in position, treating the water as the drills reach further underground. Off to one side are large containers marked steel, plastic and hazardous waste, another element of the waste management system.
He says that once construction is complete, the park will be re-instated to its former condition. However, Etienne van der Lith, the Bombela environment manager, says that it will be enhanced – the dam will be dredged, lighting and irrigation will be installed, and walkways and meditation areas will be created. A landscaping company has been brought in to re-design the park, he adds.
Sandton Station
Activities are in full swing at the site of the Sandton Station. A new taxi rank and new public parking are being constructed. The taxi rank is in front of the Sandton Library and is expected to be operational by the end of February next year. Roads around the station are being upgraded to allow for the diversions.
The northbound lane of Rivonia Road will, in future, be closed and the southbound lane will carry the northbound traffic. Southbound traffic will be diverted from West Road into Katherine Street, joining Rivonia Road again at Sandton Drive. This will happen in early March 2007, and will remain in place until early 2010.
Construction of the Rosebank Station in Oxford Road is under way
Trees are being removed from islands in Sandton. Leopard trees, celtis, combretums and pin oaks are being transplanted in the Johannesburg Botanic Gardens and in Mapeka, Immick and Maphetla parks in Soweto.
Midrand
The Midrand Station will be situated opposite the Grand Central Airport. No construction work is taking place at present except for the site establishment earthworks.
A depot will be located on an open piece of land south of Allandale Road and east of the N1 highway. An access road to the depot and a temporary bridge over Allandale Road is being constructed at present, in addition to the relocation of Stag Road, Brand and Le Roux streets. The relocation of the utilities in Glen Austin is under way.
"It should further be noted that delays may occur due to unforeseen circumstances," says the Gautrain office. Residents are requested to call the Gautrain toll-free number - 0800 Gautrain or 0800 428 87246 - to report any major incidents and get more information.
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