Cape Town unveils plan to transform unfinished highways

The City of Cape Town has announced the Foreshore Precinct Project, a plan to take advantage of the unused 15 hectares of space under and around its unfinished highways.

The city describes the vision as an opportunity to unlock some of the last remaining vacant land in the CBD.

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Announced on Friday by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis beside the unfinished highways, the project aims to complete the Foreshore Freeway Project, which was started in the 1960s.

The concrete ramps that lead nowhere are likely to be demolished following extensive public consultation.

Demand for office and residential space in Cape Town is growing, while the city is hemmed in by mountains and the sea, leaving limited room for development unless buildings are constructed upwards.

While there is no clear budget for the project yet, Hill-Lewis said: “The one thing that unites all the truly great cities of the world is this: they are ambitious and optimistic about the future, and they are not daunted by doing big things.”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis sits on the unfinished bridge. Image: Moneyweb

New route through the CBD

The construction is proposed in two phases over more than a decade.

In the first phase, a new bridge will be built over Buitengracht Road in the CBD, while the incoming elevated freeway will be widened to link directly to Helen Suzman Boulevard.

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Hill-Lewis said the bridge is designed to be “a beautiful, iconic landmark that will add to our city skyline forever”.

Proposed Foreshore Precinct bridge Image: Supplied

The bridge will allow anyone heading from the foreshore towards Green Point and Sea Point to bypass the CBD, helping to alleviate traffic congestion.

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In the second phase, which is expected to begin in about a decade, an outbound tunnel will be constructed, while the existing outbound elevated freeway will be demolished.

A ‘new’ neighbourhood

Demolishing the outbound freeway, along with the likely removal of the unfinished highways, would create space for a promenade and a new Foreshore neighbourhood, which would include residential developments, shops and affordable housing.

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The City of Cape Town currently defines affordable housing as housing options for households earning less than R32 000 a month, with rent generally accounting for no more than a third of household income.

“The planned promenade will unite the harbour, the Waterfront and the Sea Point Promenade into one continuous pedestrian route along the water’s edge.”

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Connecting the city to the harbour

The city is also engaging with Transnet over the use of Port Authority land for the proposed tunnel. Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips attended the launch of the project.

Phillips said: “It’s a connection between the city and the harbour, so we [Transnet] have to be a part of it. We work with everybody who works to advance the economy and better the lives of all of our people.”

Hill-Lewis said it is too early to provide detailed cost estimates.

“Obviously, it goes without saying, [this will be] a massive infrastructure project that will [amount to] many, many billions of rands.

“I would not like to commit to a firm estimate right now. What we first have to do is get detailed engineering designs, then go out to procurement, and only then will we have a much clearer picture of the cost.”

Construction is expected to begin in the next political term, following the local government elections in November.

Public consultation will be crucial

Many proposed developments in Cape Town face public objections, petitions and legal challenges.

Hill-Lewis said: “I have learnt in this job that whatever is on the table, from the smallest thing to the biggest thing, there will always be those who are passionately in favour of it and those who are opposed. That’s part of what I love about Cape Town. It’s a very active community.

“So I have no doubt that that will be the case.

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“But we strongly believe that we have to be bold.”

The proposed bridge for the Foreshore Private Precinct project. Image: Supplied

City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo announced a dedicated online hub where members of the public can register for project updates and notifications about consultation periods.

“I encourage Capetonians to engage with us, to challenge us, to share ideas and to be part of shaping what comes next.”

Government support

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, who attended the event, said his department may allocate initial funding for project preparation through Infrastructure South Africa.

“In fact, since I’ve been the [Department of Public Works] minister here, we haven’t allocated a single rand towards project preparation in the Western Cape.”

He noted that Customs House, a government-owned building that is somewhat dilapidated, would form part of the Foreshore precinct, along with other parcels of land.

“While we aren’t implementers of it, we certainly have a role to play and support the city to get what is a major, major infrastructure project off the ground.”

From left: Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips; Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility Rob Quintas, City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews, and Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson. Image: Moneyweb

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