New R300/Bottelary interchange officially open
Opening of the new interchange to bring relief to Kuils River residents. CREDIT: CoCT/Twitter Opening of the new interchange to bring relief to Kuils River residents. CREDIT: CoCT/Twitter
The City, along with the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, and the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) Western Cape, officially opened the R300 Bottelary interchange on Thursday, lauding it as a major step to alleviate congestion around the Kuils River area.
MEC for Transport and Public Works, Donald Grant, said: “It was only a year ago when we were here together breaking ground on this important partnership between the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, and SANRAL. Through this project, we demonstrated our collective commitment to addressing congestion in the city, as well as enhancing mobility and increasing access to economic opportunities.
“We are pleased to have been true to our commitment, with this interchange having been completed on schedule and within budget. This project is a testament to what can be achieved through partnerships based on shared commitments,” Grant added.
The new connection will alleviate congestion for commuters in Kuils River and surrounding communities and will reduce pressure on arterials like Van Riebeeck and Bottelary Roads.
Last year, the City established the Transport and Urban Development Authority [TDA] Cape Town as a means to reverse the effects of apartheid spatial planning by combining the functions of transport, urban development, and elements of human settlements.
Opening of new R60 million R300/Bottelary interchange to bring congestion relief to Kuils River motorists - https://t.co/lnOPLuRlwM pic.twitter.com/tJpW1OuMlF
— Patricia de Lille (@PatriciaDeLille) March 23, 2017
The statement by the City stated that “the TDA must ensure that the city becomes more connected and integrated, where residents have greater access to transport, economic opportunities, and affordable and inclusive residential opportunities.”
SANRAL Western Region manager, Kobus van der Walt, said: “SANRAL remains committed to its mandate to plan, design, construct, manage and maintain the national road network, as the “economic arteries” of South Africa. We also remain committed to ongoing engagement and collaboration with the provincial and local government in order to ensure that the infrastructure we roll out collectively enables residents to have improved access and mobility, with the aim of enhancing economic growth.”
This project is an example of the City’s Organisational Development Transformation Plan [ODTP] where the City, along with the Western Cape Government and SANRAL, partnered with Shoprite Checkers and VDMV who each contributed R5 million to the project through their development facilitation fees.
“Their future developments, worth billions of rands in this area, will bring more than 1 000 permanent jobs.”
The City of Cape Town made a contribution of R31 million, which was 52 percent of the construction costs, the Western Cape Government contributed R29 million (48 percent), and SANRAL made their contribution by purchasing the land for the new interchange.
The Public Works Programme created 100 jobs worth R2.3 million.
Cape Town Mayor, Patricia de Lille, thanked “the City’s partners the Western Cape Department of Transport, Public Works and SANRAL Western Cape for working with us to deliver this massive project in such a short space of time”.