Camps Bay Drive to be closed for five months

While at least 14 000 motorists will be affected daily by the closure of Camps Bay Drive when the City of Cape Town starts its R20 million upgrade of the road, the municipality has warned that any further delays could put their safety at risk.

Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for Transport for Cape Town, said: "Camps Bay Drive has not been refurbished for the past 30 years. This major upgrade will significantly improve the road condition and safety for road users and cannot be postponed any longer."

The city has warned of "major delays" when work starts on April 20, and motorists have been advised to familiarise themselves with the alternate routes. There will be stop-and-go control points between Geneva Drive and Prima Avenue, and Houghton Drive and Rontree Avenue to allow for residents' access. Geneva Drive will serve as an alternate entrance and exit route to Camps Bay. The MyCiTi 106 and 107 services that operate on that road will be diverted during construction.

Herron said the refurbishments, which would be completed by September "if everything goes to plan", would make Camps Bay Drive wider with fewer sharp bends.

Other improvements include improvements to the road surface by replacing the top section with recycled material and asphalt, the replacement of the damaged culvert on Victoria Road in Bakoven, the slackening of some of the sharp corners to allow buses to move safely in opposite directions, and the rehabilitation of the road between Rontree Avenue and Houghton Road.

Camps Bay Drive will be widened by 1.4m on the Table Mountain side between Geneva Drive and Rontree Avenue, and the centre line will shift by 0.7m to widen each lane.

The city is hosting an open day tomorrow at Camps Bay High School where officials will share information about the upgrade with residents and affected parties.

"Residents will have first-hand experience of the benefits once this project is completed. Not only will Camps Bay Drive be wider, but the road surface will be smooth and the bends will not be nearly as sharp as is currently the case - making the road safer for all of us." said Herron.

Source: Cape Argus