November 8, 2006
By Anish Abraham
Rosebank will feel the full impact of construction on the Gautrain station precinct along Oxford Road by the start of December, when road closures and route diversions will be enforced.
Construction of the Rosebank station precinct is expected to have a huge impact on the area, with road closures and diversions in the area expected to last for up to three years.
"The project is only 40 days old, but there is already a lot of activity taking place throughout the city," said Denis Bouvet, Chief Executive of the Bombela Concession Company.
He was speaking during a media briefing held at the Gautrain Project office in downtown Johannesburg on 8 November.
The Bombela consortium, consisting of Bombardier Transportation, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Murray and Roberts and the Strategic Partners Group won the bid to construct the multi-billion rand rapid rail link.
Bouvet said much work had been done since the signing of the concession agreement on 28 September, and work through a civil joint venture had commenced on eight sites in the city.
Etienne van der Lith, Environmental Manager at Bombela, with Denis Bouvet, Chief Executive of the Bombela
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
He said the issues of land transfers, moving utilities and roadwork and road diversions were being dealt with in Rosebank and Sandton. Land transfers had also occurred at Park Station; sites in Marlboro and Mushroom Park had been fenced off; and work had commenced on the maintenance depot near Linbro Park.
"We have done reviews on the electronic fare collection system, have started to award electro-mechanical contracts and also signed the power supply agreement with Eskom," he added.
There are already over 1000 people working on the Gautrain project, a number set to swell as the company continues to sign more sub-contracts for civil and other works.
"We have had many discussions with the Johannesburg Roads Agency… we have to complete the road upgrades before enforcing diversions to ensure a smoother transition. The purpose of this is to divert traffic away from the construction area," remarked Etienne van der Lith, Environmental Manager at Bombela.
According to Van der Lith, Bolton Road is to be converted into a three-lane one-way carriageway in a western direction.
Baker Street will become a one-way carriageway of between two to three lanes in eastern direction from Jan Smuts Avenue towards Oxford Road.
Sturdee Avenue will be converted into a three-lane one-way carriageway in a northern direction between from Bolton Road and Jellicoe Avenue.
Bath Avenue will be converted into a two-lane dual carriageway and will be reserved for public transportation (buses and minibus taxis).
Public transport traffic will be able to flow north and southwards on Bath Avenue either northbound from Baker Street or southwards from Jellicoe Avenue to Baker Street.
Oxford Road will become a one-way southbound carriageway of between two to three lanes, which follows the alignment of the service road (west of Oxford Road).
"Due to Johannesburg Road Agency requirements, we will reserve two separate traffic routes for private vehicles and public transportation, which includes buses and minibus taxis," explained Van der Lith.
To minimise congestion along Bath Avenue, the company will upgrade the road and provide facilities where people can make use of public transport without it interfering with the traffic flow. Additional parking facilities will also be provided in the surrounding areas for the traditional users of that road.
Van der Lith said the company was announcing the diversions one month ahead of time, to ensure sufficient awareness of the road closures and diversions by motorists.
"We will also be installing signposts directing motorists, as well as boards with maps of the area that give motorists and explanation of the road closures and traffic diversions," he said.
In addition, the company has also set up a call centre and a website to deal with motorists who have enquiries regarding road closures and traffic diversions, as well as to provide them with information on alternative routes that can be used in the affected areas.
According to Simphiwe Dube, manager of the Bombela call centre, call volumes at the Fox Street based centre are still low, though he expects an increase once road closures and traffic diversions are enforced.
Bouvet expressed optimism that the Sandton/OR Tambo International Airport link would be completed in time for the 2010 world cup, but would not commit himself to any time frames.
" We will give out regular updates on our progress. Anything can happen when you have a project that requires such an amount of tunneling – but the land transfers have been going very well and we have to commend the provincial government for their efforts," Bouvet said.
For more information on the road closures in and around Rosebank, contact the Gautrain call centre on 0800 Gautrain (0800 428 872 46) or visit their route planning website.
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