Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced plans to transform the city's infamous unfinished highways into a new link bridge, promenade, and vibrant neighbourhood. The construction of the unfinished bridges began in the early 1970s but was halted nearly 50 years ago in 1977. Since then, the unused and vacant bridge has become a hotspot for artistic expression, including movies, commercials, and photoshoots.
The elevated highway has cut off the city centre from the ocean, Hill-Lewis said. The project aims to transform the unfinished highways into a new link bridge and tunnel to relieve inner-city congestion and fix the connection between the foreshore and the seaboard. This will not only improve traffic flow but also unlock economic opportunities for the area.
The project will unlock 15ha of land around the existing unfinished highways, which has remained undeveloped and a physical barrier between the city and sea. A new bridge will directly link the inbound freeway to Helen Suzman Boulevard, bypassing Buitengracht Street below. This will provide a more efficient route for motorists and create a new maritime identity for the area.
The proposal involves doing the project in two halves to avoid crippling the city's traffic flow. The first phase of construction will focus on building a new bridge over Buitengracht Street, widening the incoming elevated freeway that links the inbound freeway directly to Helen Suzman Boulevard. New bus priority lanes will be added to the incoming highways across Buitengracht Street.
The bridge itself will be a civic landmark with a park and public spaces beneath it, including businesses, restaurants, and shops. In phase 2, Hill-Lewis proposes a new outbound link bridge and a tunnel built on the vacant land between the port and Customs House, and continuing alongside Duncan Road to connect with the outbound highways.
Once the system is in place, the existing outbound elevated freeway can be removed. The foreshore sits at the meeting point of the CBD, the port, the V&A Waterfront, and the Atlantic seaboard, making it a critical connection point between these parts of Cape Town. The mayor emphasized that the area should be an efficient connection between these parts of the city but also a place in its own right.
There will be detailed planning, funding decisions, and extensive public participation along the way, Hill-Lewis said. The completion of the project is expected to relieve congestion in the CBD for decades to come and create a new neighbourhood with affordable housing, public parks and spaces, walkable streets, and a tree-lined promenade along the harbour's edge all the way to Sea Point.
Key points
- The project will unlock 15ha of land around the existing unfinished highways.
- The new bridge will directly link the inbound freeway to Helen Suzman Boulevard.
- The project aims to relieve inner-city congestion and fix the connection between the foreshore and the seaboard.
