Soweto Highway gets a R180 million facelift

20-10-2014
 

The Soweto Highway, one of the most important transport arteries in Johannesburg, is to be resurfaced at a cost of R180 million over the next three years.
 

The project is part of the City of Johannesburg’s R710 million Roads Resurfacing Programme that will also see the resurfacing of the M1 and M2 freeways, two major arteries that serve commercial hubs such as Sandton.

The City will spend over R300 million to resurface the M1 freeway and a further R230 million on the resurfacing of the M2 highway.
 

Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Cllr Christine Walters said the Johannesburg Roads Resurfacing Programme would “support economic growth and development by reducing traffic congestion, cutting down on travel time and facilitating the movement of people, goods and services”.
 

“We’re currently in the planning phases of the Soweto Highway Resurfacing Project. Sanral has been contracted [to carry out the work] on behalf of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA). The intention is to bring all the freeways that fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Johannesburg to the same international standards as those falling under the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project,” Cllr Walters said.
 

But she emphasised that there was no intention to “toll any freeway the City of Johannesburg is responsible for. These include the Soweto Highway, the M1 and the M2”.
 

Mpho Kau, JRA’s Head of Infrastructure Development, said the resurfacing of the Soweto Highway would cover a total distance of 55km.
 

Kau explained that road resurfacing strengthened the surface’s structural capacity to improve its integrity.

“Resurfacing also makes the surface more skid-resistant,” he said.
 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau announced during his State of the Province Address earlier this year that the Roads Resurfacing Programme formed part of a comprehensive, R110 billion investment in strategic infrastructure in the city over the next 10 years.