Dual carriageway, traffic circle underway

While the second phase of the Beacon Bay-Gonubie link road is expected to be completed by March next year, Pieter Marx, project manager from Bosch Projects, said the final stages of the project would be tackled as and when funding was available from Buffalo City Metro (BCM).

The project, being carried out by Down Touch Investments, comprises eight phases and will connect Beacon Bay and Gonubie via a road that extends from the traffic lights at Retail Park and Eskom’s head office all the way to Gonubie Main Road, connecting just past the Gonubie police station.

The second phase of the project is the construction of a 680m dual carriageway with a full traffic circle, a culvert over the Quenera River and a 1.4m wide median pedestrian walkway and bicycle track on both sides of the road.

Construction began in May 2017 and 64% of the project has already been completed, with all on track for the March completion date.

When the Daily Dispatch visited the area this week, construction workers were building the earth-retaining wall and culvert.

Marx said during the execution of the works, and while burrowing the cuts, dangerous rock mass instabilities were noticed.

“Geotechnical experts were called in and they determined that, because of the nature of the rock and the joint spacing and orientation, lateral support provided by rock anchors and shotcrete is the appropriate solution to prevent collapse of the rock mass as well as long-term maintenance problems.”

The culvert is designed to accommodate the 100-year-flood patterns.

“It was selected as it is the most suitable for the vertical alignment of the road and existing river profile. The culvert elements are sized to withstand lateral and vertical earth loads imposed by 6m earth fill to the sides and 6m earth fill over the roof of the culvert.”

Prior to the project commencing BCM conducted a study to identify and mark any protected species on site, with yellowwood and cheesewood trees identified as some of the species that had to be protected during construction.

A total of 50 yellowwood seedlings were transplanted into bags and transported to the BCM nursery at James Pearce Park where they are being kept and cared for until the project is near completion.

“The seedlings will then be transplanted to the project area during site rehabilitation. One yellowwood tree had to be removed as it was directly in the construction path. All of these activities were undertaken with the necessary permission from the department of agriculture, forestry & fisheries.”

Good relations among stakeholders were attributed to the steady progress.

“All key stakeholders involved are highly skilled and experienced and they all understand the importance and magnitude of how the completion of this road will ultimately lead to adding much value to the city,” Marx said.

Buffalo City infrastructure portfolio head Ncedo Kumbaca could not provide details as to when the project would be completed. He said each phase would be advertised.

“It has to go to an open tender; each phase will be budgeted for in that particular financial year.”

In his report issued last week, he said the project had created jobs for people in surrounding areas.

He said the objectives of the project were to provide a high quality urban arterial road as part of the future transportation network of the area to improve accessibility to land and provide access to existing and future developments along the Quenera Drive extension.