The City of Cape Town would like to thank residents who have cooperated with the contractor during the road rehabilitation project currently under way along Jakes Gerwel Drive. Residents and road users can be assured that the City will not allow a few individuals to delay, disrupt, and interfere with service delivery projects as was the case with the Jakes Gerwel Drive project recently.
‘The City will not tolerate the attempts by a few individuals to stop critical projects through extortion and intimidation. The Jakes Gerwel Drive project was delayed recently, but I am happy to hear that the contractor has been back on site since last night, and will be accompanied by law enforcement to ensure that work continues smoothly. Our aim is to complete a substantial part of the roadworks in time for the builders’ holiday. The safety of our road users is our top priority and we will not allow a few community members to keep us from completing this stretch of road.
‘Jakes Gerwel Drive is one of our busiest roads and a key transport link. The rehabilitation work will improve its condition and lifespan and improve the travel experience for all road users, especially those from surrounding suburbs including Langa, Bonteheuwel and Epping. Roadworks are still happening only after hours between 20:00 and 05:00 in the morning,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Councillor Rob Quintas.
The contractor started night work at the beginning of November. The work process involved removing the existing road layers to a depth of about 340mm and replacing it with a specialised material that was created using recycled asphalt and a small amount of bitumen. This recycled asphalt material is then exposed to traffic for a few days before it can be paved over with asphalt. Approximately 25 000m3 of recycled asphalt will be used in this road rehabilitation, significantly reducing the need for virgin, less sustainable, construction materials on this project
Going forward the programme is planned as follows:
Work will continue on the northbound carriageway until mid to late January 2022, with short sections of the recycled asphalt material being constructed each night and an asphalt surfacing layer being placed over this every fourth or fifth night.
The contractor will then carry out some patching work between Viking Way and the N1 of the North bound lane until late February 2022.
Thereafter the contractor will move to the southbound carriageway for patching work between the N1 and Viking Way until about March 2022
Lastly the main roadworks on the southbound carriageway will be undertaken between Viking and Blue Gun until about mid-May.
The City of Cape Town’s Transport Directorate commenced with this rehabilitation of Jakes Gerwel Drive between Blue Gum Street and Viking Road project in March 2021. The work is scheduled to take another nine months to complete, pending unforeseen delays and inclement weather.
The project also includes minor improvements to the sidewalks and repairs to guardrails, which benefit pedestrians along this stretch of road.
The City asks that road users continue to assist by:
Reducing travelling speeds
Paying attention and adhering to road signs
Being vigilant in and around the roadworks area
Looking out for uneven road surfaces
Being mindful of construction workers
Factoring in extra travel time
All lanes will be affected, but only one lane in each direction at a time. Work areas will be demarcated to regulate traffic flow, and to assist pedestrians. Residents are urged to park their vehicles in demarcated areas in order not to obstruct the maintenance work.
Source: City Of Cape Town