Cape Town - A multimillion-rand project along the N7 highway is nearing completion but motorists have been warned to brace themselves for upcoming road closures between Plattekloof and Milnerton.
Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers says work on the Refinery Interchange Project, which is a R285 million project to improve the capacity and safety of traffic operations at the interchange, is progressing according to plan.
He explains that while there have been minor delays mainly due to weather conditions, the project is set to be complete in the first quarter of next year.
The project involves the construction of an interchange which is located in the road reserve at the juncture of the N7 highway and Plattekloof Road. It also includes the upgrade of the interchange ramps connecting to the N7.
Simmers says the main objectives of the upgrade are to improve the capacity and safety of traffic operations at the Refinery Interchange. The project implements a dual-carriageway system along Plattekloof Road.
“To implement the dual east-west carriageway system, the existing interchange bridge which had a substandard vertical clearance – was demolished and replaced by constructing two new bridges over the N7.
“Bridge B6068 (positioned south of the previous bridge) and bridge B6089 (positioned at the site of the previous bridge) will form the westbound and eastbound carriageways, respectively.
“To further accommodate the dualling of Plattekloof Road, the existing Road-over-Rail Bridge will be raised (with a concrete overlay) and widened to the south. Other improvements include widening the four interchange ramps and upgrading the two interchange terminals.”
He says some key milestones include the construction of the westbound bridge which will include sidewalks, stone pitching and bridge-mounted streetlights as well as the construction of the east-bound bridge, which includes balustrades, median island and asphalting.
“I am pleased with the progress that has been made on this project. The project plays a critical role as it forms an integral part of the long-term development of the N7 corridor as well as the greater integrated transport plan for the Cape metropole.
“I know that it has caused frustration and inconvenience during construction, but the team has demonstrated their commitment to sticking to the plan. The long-term benefit will be invaluable to the region.
“Thank you to our road users for your patience, and our teams for their continued efforts. I am particularly pleased by the number of jobs and Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise (SMME) opportunities we’ve managed to create through the project,” Simmers added.
He further explained that to commence with Phase 5 of the roadworks, the Plattekloof Roadway over the N7 would be closed to traffic from 7pm on November 24 to 5am on November 27. The N7 northbound off- and on-ramps, and the southbound offand on-ramps at Refinery Interchange would remain open to traffic.
“We are aware that this closure coincides with the Black Friday weekend, but the closure can unfortunately not be rescheduled,” he said.