No hope for Alberton Boulevard
The ward Councillor has tried for 10 years to upgrade and repair the boulevard.
ALBERTON Boulevard has been a bone of contention with residents and the city council for years, but still, it is not being seen to.
According to one of Alberton’s ward councillors, alderman Bruna Haipel, she has been trying to get funds from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) Integrated Development Plan for more than 10 years to upgrade and maintain Alberton Boulevard.
“As the ward councillor for the area, I have been requesting this upgrade for many years. My vision for a total upgrade of the whole boulevard area has not been entertained, and despite many arguments, the project will be implemented in phases,” Haipel added.
In 2018 only a part of the boulevard’s paving was redone as it was in a hideous state. Now the other part still needs to be done. According to her, engineers came out to give a quote for all the repair and upgrading work, but every year the amount on the quote will change and it is only getting more expensive.
“It is just as if EMM is focusing on other things. I feel this is important and could benefit everyone. It is a case of empty promises.”
When you speak to residents, their comments are always the same, stating Alberton Boulevard is a total mess and eyesore, that is has deteriorated from what was supposed to be a tranquil, welcoming pedestrian precinct, into a chaotic, messy, disorganised, unattractive location.
Many people have fallen due to the many safety hazards like the paving and Haipel has requested anyone that was injured due to tripping and falling on the Boulevard to contact her as your testimony could help lead credence to the acceleration of money being made available for the repairs.
If you would like to contact her regarding this send her an email at bruna.haipul@absamail.co.za or phone her on 082 454 6856.
Bruna’s plan for the boulevard
“The boulevard is the heart of Alberton and I feel it has so much potential,” she said. The plans she had for the upgrading was to have more lightning in the boulevard.
“To make it more user-friendly. I have ideas which include fountains (there used to be one), a coffee shop, weekly activities and entertainment. To give the boulevard a clean and modern look, one which will remind us of time in the past,” she said.
According to her, she just wants to re-establish the attractive, tranquil and welcoming entity originally envisaged in the Alberton Boulevard.
Some history about Alberton Boulevard
The construction of Alberton Boulevard was a major development, starting in the late 1980s with the aim of converting a section of Voortrekker Road that runs past the Alberton City Shopping Mall (one of the older malls in the area) into a pedestrian-friendly zone. Alberton Boulevard has a length of 0.99 kilometres.
Alberton Boulevard has changed over time, having structured figures in sequence on one of the islands in the centre of the road, but have since been removed.
*The RECORD did request comment from EMM and will publish it as soon as it is received.
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