M1 revamp ends with fanfare

Commuters can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the City of Joburg officially wrapped up the R140 million rehabilitation of the M1 highway through Parktown – including work on the Oxford and Federation bridges – yesterday.

“I would like to thank commuters for their patience, [seeing] that the project is only being completed now,” said Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

“Many had adjusted their travel times to accommodate the traffic deviations and road closures.”

Lanes will be open to traffic from Monday, in a phased approach. The rehabilitation project was launched in November 2015, in unison with the M1 Double Decker rehabilitation project, with a combined cost estimated at R210 million, and carried out by the Johannesburg Roads Agency.

“This upgrade and installation is of the utmost importance to ensure that roads are safe, not just for those that have cars, but for everyone on the road,” said Mashaba.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura, who gave the keynote address, spoke of the importance of improving infrastructure, not just because it eased travelling for commuters, but because it improved the economy.

“This project has created 92 000 jobs for people and this has contributed greatly to our economy,” he said.

The event was attended by MEC for transport Ismail Vadi, who spoke of the importance of road safety.

“There is no day that goes by where we do not hear about a taxi crash that caused the death of many people. This needs to stop,” he said.

Vadi and Makhura encouraged road users to continue to abide by road safety rules and regulations. Some workers at the site told The Citizen the project was no easy task and often meant working seven days a week. – ofentsem@citizen.co.za