The executive Mayor of Johannesburg city, Parks Tau, has said that key sections of Johannesburg highway will be upgraded to e-toll quality level.
The M1 and M2 road networks will have capacity assessment done before the upgrade. An assessment will also be done on the Soweto Highway.
The assessment is expected to reveal the extent of needed upgrade, as well as help find out innovative solutions that will be used to tackle road congestion.
Part of renovation of the Johannesburg highway includes renovation of the M1 Double Decker road section, Federation and Oxford bridges, which are expected to start in the first quarter of the next financial year.
Mayor Tau said the inner city renewal project had transformed the landscape of the Johannesburg city, with Maboneng, Braamfontein, Newton and Marshalltown precincts now having international travel guides. The transformation, he said, was attracting businesses back to the inner city.
Construction of the Johannesburg’s City Council Chamber, which includes building modern facility council officials and public, has begun. This will form part of the Metro Precinct development project being undertaken to transform it to create an inviting environment and accessible space.
All departments will be able to carry out a 24-hour operations following the city transformation; it will have office spaces, retail shops, residential facility and a people’s square.
Johannesburg Roads Agency last year launched more projects, including the Naledi Bridge project expected to end by September this year. South Africa, which is running a US$847bn infrastructure programme, last year recorded a road construction backlog reaching at USD $17.57bn although it has rolled out several road projects.
