SA: Hospital Bend Upgrade
To ease congestion, the City of Cape Town has embarked on revamping Hospital Bend.
The project is jointly funded by the National Department of Transport, the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town, with Haw & Inglis (Pty) Ltd as the main contractor.
Haw & Inglis Projects is a building company operating within the borders of South Africa and has the following vacancies in the Boland area. The core role of Haw & Inglis is to alter the existing carriageways to increase the capacity for both public and general transport which will substantially improve the difficult and challenging road system at Hospital Bend, reducing traffic flow and congestion.
The well-known bend which is sandwiched between Groote Schuur Hospital and Table Mountain is often described as a nightmare during peak hours, especially for motorists who have to cross numerous lanes in order to get into the right lane. It makes complete sense to ease traffic congestion particularly in terms of the upcoming 2010 World Cup, which promises to lure thousands of tourists. R150 million (19.8 million USD)) has been set aside to ensure that the N2/Settlers Freeway to increase the capacity for public and general transport at the Hospital Bend vicinity which at a cost of R235 million(31 million USD) is in close proximity to Groote Schuur Hospital. According to the SA2010.gov.za website, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for transport, roads and stormwater, Councillor Elizabeth Thompson confirmed that the proposed two lanes that will be added will ensure pre-selection opportunities for users to eliminate most of the current weaving by traffic and will enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion. Just in time for the 2010 World Cup, the road system will certainly be more than ready to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of expected visitors to the city.
Phase One
Phase one of the project refers to the link from the N1 on to the M5 South towards Muizenberg and is expected to be completed by March next year. The first phase is currently under construction.
Phase two
This refers to the broadening of the link from the M5 North onto the N1 towards the city and is expected to be completed after the World Cup ,2010.
New Additions
For more than 10years, the city has intended to alter existing road carriages to increase capacity for both public and private transport. However, due to funding and a host of other constraints, the alterations have been delayed until now, as the alterations are part of the N2 corridor upgrade that forms the final part of N2 airport to city link is identified as a 2010 priority infrastructure project by the City of Cape Town.
The project, which officially launched on 4 February 2009 includes implementation of the following upgrades; new bridges to be built – the existing bridge over the N2 will be widened, roads will be realigned and resurfaced, overhead signs gantries and ground-mounted signs, new traffic lightning, hard and soft landscaping, new roadworks and rehabilitation of the existing road way, which will in turn ease traffic congestion on hospital bend. The upgrade will also include drainage improvements, street lightning and direction signage.
The Challenge
The challenge is to implement construction without significantly disrupting traffic. One of the most impressive aspects of the project is that upgrades are being made in the midst of daily traffic. Essentially, most of the roads surrounding the areas being upgraded have not been affected. In fact, traffic has been flowing fairly well, as upgrades are being made without disrupting the flow of general traffic. Furthermore, an awareness campaign has been put in place to ensure motorists are cognizant of construction taking place. This campaign include methods such as information boards on approach roads, newspaper advertisements and announcements on local radio channels informing road users of the traffic accommodation plan of intended traffic diversions, road closures and any other possible disruptions.
Thompson has stated that the City of Cape Town acknowledges the inconvenience that the upgrade has placed on road users essentially worth everybody’s while.
Road Closures
In terms of road closures, the condition of the contract states that at least two lanes of traffic should be maintained in each direction for the duration of the project. This will ensure that disruption of traffic flow is lessened and consequent convenience to motorists. In fact, no deliveries on the construction site are permitted during peak hours. Lane restrictions have been set in place. Unavoidable lane restrictions have been restricted to evenings and over certain weekends.
Alternative routes have included Main Road, the Simon’s Town Cape Town train lane, traveling to town via Eastern Boulevard which was diverted from De Waal Drive inbound to De Waal outbound via an existing break in the separation between the carriageways approximately 950m after the De Waal Drive-Eastern Bouylevard split and then via Upper Roodebloem on Eastern Boulevard inbound.
According to Bertie Byker, Project Manager in the City’s Roads and Storm-water Department, detours are clearly marked and the Cape Town Traffic Department will be in attendance to assist the public. Car pooling and using bus and taxi services is encouraged.
Professional Team
Main Contractor: Haw & Inglis (Pty) Ltd.
