Construction on Rea Vaya’s Phase 1C along Louis Botha Avenue is under way, with the City assuring residents and business owners that no properties will be forcefully acquired during the development.
Construction on Rea Vaya Phase 1C is well under way, with new lanes and islands along the route slowly taking shape along Louis Botha Avenue.
Construction started in March this year and is expected to be completed by December 2016. The project is divided into two phases, with the first phase having kicked off in February this year.
The first phase, which will end in November this year, is focusing on constructing road pavement structures, and on improving two middle lanes of the existing road to meet Bus Rapid Transit System standards.
Phase 2, which will begin in November this year, will involve the rehabilitation and construction of road pavement structures on the outside lanes for private traffic and attend to non-motorised transport infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
Further developments along the corridor will include:
- A state-of-the-art underground public transport interchange at Wynberg Bridge;
- 5.2km of walking and cycling lanes;
- A bridge over the M1 to accommodate the more than 10 000 people walking between Alexandra and the Sandton CBD every day;
- A second bridge for dedicated Rea Vaya bus lanes in Marlboro;
- A new transport system in the Sandton CBD that incorporates the Gautrain station, pedestrians and cyclists; and
- A new bus depot in the inner city, and one in Alexandra.
Phase 1C, which runs along Louis Botha Avenue and into Katherine Street in Sandton, will comprise 16km of Rea Vaya lanes with 10 new stations.
As has been the case with constructing Rea Vaya lanes in the past, there is bound to be some land intake along the Phase 1C route during construction. However, no properties will be acquired along the Phase 1C route, consistent with the vision expressed in documents such as the City’s Growth Management Strategy and the strategy documents for the Corridors of Freedom.
According to the City of Johannesburg, “It is anticipated that land intake will be on existing parking areas, including the removal of property boundary walls to be incorporated as part of the road reserve.”
Affected land owners will be compensated by the City and property boundary walls will be reinstated where applicable.
“The City wants to assure residents living along Louis Botha Avenue … it does not intend to forcefully acquire properties in Orange Grove and the surrounding suburbs,” reads a statement from the City.
CORRIDORS OF VISION
The City’s Corridors of Freedom envisage a compact and integrated metropolis, built predominately on the back of a mass transit system like Rea Vaya.
The Corridors of Freedom are aimed at changing the urban space by increasing density in areas that benefit from the city’s new transport infrastructure.
Nine areas have been earmarked for this new spatial development with three areas having been prioritised. These include the Empire-Perth corridor, Louis Botha Avenue and Turffontein.
A significant portion of the City’s capital investment has been set side over the next three years for the Corridors of Freedom.
The City will continue to communicate with affected and interested stakeholders along Louis Botha Avenue about proposed integrated solutions.