NECESSITY FOR ROAD
Traditionally the major routes merged to or radiated from the Cape Town CBD. This area forms the main business focal point for the whole South Western Cape, hence resulting in increasing flows of private and commercial vehicles.
The natural growth in the Cape, together with a high influx of people from outside the Western Cape, has resulted in the excessive congestion of traffic on the existing road network. The present problem of congestion and the absence of good quality cross access roads around the city has limited potential growth in many areas and restricted the available employment markets to people throughout the Peninsula. Of particular concern are the restrictive access routes from the South Peninsula to the rest of the Metropolitan area as well as to the airport and the hinterland.
The proposed Ring Road would be a high-speed free flow freeway, which would connect the freeways and major connecting roads between Muizenberg and Melkbosstrand. The existing R300, which would form part of the Ring Road, has already proved an essential link between Vanguard Drive, National Route 2 and National Route 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The Ring Road has been based on the principal of utilizing the existing R300, between the N1 (Bellville) and the Vanguard Drive, and extending it north and south such that it intersects all the freeways and major arterial roads in the Metropolitan Area. The total length of the proposed Ring Road will be 67km.
Penway Consortium has prepared a detailed four-phased engineering proposal, which describes the route. Please refer to Figure 1 attached.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT (Cont.)
Phase 1 of the project is the northern link to Melkbosstrand which would commence on the N1 at the Stellenberg Interchange and extend north through Durbanville. This section of 7km was proclaimed as a Trunk Road in 1974 and 1988.
Phase 2 is the northern link to Melkbosstrand from the boundary of Durbanville where the road will intersect Adderley Road (DIV 1102) 500 metres from the Eskom power lines and proceeds west. The road is to be located on the southern side of the Kuiperskraal and Welgegund Farms, through the Welgenoegd and Olifantskop Farms before reaching the N7at Morning Star. The last section between the N7 and the West Coast Road (TR27) is located mostly along the existing link road (MR43). It ends at the intersection of the West Coast and Blaauwberg Roads.
The southern extension, Phase 3, commences at the intersection of the R300 and Vanguard Drive. It crosses Vanguard Drive and is aligned parallel with it until almost opposite Wespoort Road. At this point it turns towards the west to follow the northern boundary of the Strandfontein residential area up to Strandfontein Road. From the Strandfontein Road to Capricorn the freeway would lie on the land located between Zeekoevlei and the Sewage Treatment Works, passing Pelican Park. The remainder of the road between Capricorn and the Main Road/Steenberg Road intersection is located within a previously expropriated freeway reserve. The section of Steenberg Road between the Main Road/Steenberg Road intersection and the Simon van der Stel Freeway (M3) would be upgraded. The interchange at Westlake would be upgraded to a full interchange.
Phase 4 is the upgrade and maintenance of the existing R300 road, which will link phases 1, 2 and 3 and form the ring road continuum. There will not be any major construction works along this route.
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