A R487 million Department of Transport and Public Works project to upgrade a section of the N1 between Plattekloof Road and Old Oak Interchange is 60% complete.

Approximately 120 000 vehicles travel along this stretch of road during the morning inbound and afternoon outbound peak periods. The addition of a third lane in both directions will significantly reduce traffic congestion on one of Cape Town’s busiest roads. The project is expected to be complete by May 2019.

Work on installing the Freeway Management System, fibre optic bank, and Wemmershoek pipeline is complete, as is work on the concrete retaining walls, Old Oak inbound on-ramp temporary bypass, and Phase 1 widening of the third lanes in the median. The Old Oak inbound on-ramp is also complete, and open to traffic.

Current work in progress includes:

• Pavement rehabilitation on the N1 carriageways (to be completed in October),
• Phase 2 median widening and installation of the concrete median barrier (75% complete),
• Phase 3 median widening and barrier (started recently),
• Inbound auxiliary lane widening between Durban Road and Jip de Jager Avenue (50% complete),
• Inbound auxiliary lane widening between Jip de Jager and Plattekloof Road (started recently),
• Outbound auxiliary lane widening between Jip de Jager and Durban Road (50% complete),
• Widenings of Jip de Jager Interchange and ramp; and Old Oak Interchange and ramp (in progress), and
• Reconstruction of Old Oak Road West Bridge.

New lanes have been marked between Old Oak off-ramp and the R300 to reduce congestion while construction is under way.

Daily closures are required on the main carriageways for removing existing surfacing and laying new ultra-thin friction course surfacing. The reconstruction of the western portion of Old Oak Road Bridge will cause some discomfort to road users until its completion, which is expected towards the end of 2018. In the meantime, the Old Oak Road East bridge is carrying all northbound and southbound traffic.             

This project is creating a number of short-term job and skills development opportunities. As of August 2018, R26 million has been spent on targeted labour while 30 998 person-days of work have been created for people from the City of Cape Town municipal areas bordering on the N1.

Join the Department on Twitter @WCGovTPW under the hashtag #roadworksWC