Sharonlea community proposes alternative routes to Gautrain extension
The community provided two alternative routes to the Gautrain Management Agency, which will affect properties to a lesser degree.
Residents have thanked the Greater Sharonlea Residents Forum and other active engineers and architects who have proposed less-obstructive routes for the Gautrain route extension.
Forum chairperson, JC Wouters explained the forum and these experts met the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) recently to discuss the extension, which as it stands will run through Sharonlea and affect multiple homes, schools and organisations, with many properties needing to be expropriated with compensation.
“Many discussions and brainstorming sessions have been held over the past few weeks to find alternative routes to minimise the impact on Sharonlea,” Wouters said.
“With that said, we arranged a meeting with the GMA engineering team to discuss two alternative proposals for the planned Gautrain Rapid Rail expansion within Sharonlea. The first proposal includes an extension of the rail from the [proposed] underground Randburg Station. The rail begins in a tunnel that descends towards Eton Avenue at which point it levels out and eventually ‘daylights’ at Ferndale Ext 6… We have proposed that instead of the rail leveling out at Eton Ave, it could continue its descent and be able to make it underground through Sharonlea.”
This route would only impact the Klein Jukskei River, as it would run across it before continuing under lower Sharonlea. This proposal would have the least impact on the suburb as it is mostly underground.
“The GMA feedback from this was that tunneling (as we already know) is a costly exercise, but it will be considered.”
The second proposal includes shifting the corridor further south, where the rail continues over the N1 Highway as originally planned on a viaduct, but on the opposite side of Malibongwe Drive.
“The viaduct would then continue over President Fouche Road (leaving [it] unobstructed) where it would travel on grade for a short section entering into a tunnel further up Malibongwe before reaching Mahogany [Street] where it could continue to run underground for the rest of the route towards Cosmo City Station. This is all similar and in line with the current viaducts and tunnels in
their existing plans.”
He said this route was favoured by the GMA as it uses similar grade, tunnel and viaduct ratios as before, uses existing road infrastructure, but which may require alterations to Malibongwe Drive, and does not introduce problems for other communities.
“We feel that the meeting outcome was positive in that there is still a willingness and continued commitment by GMA to work with Sharonlea and make alterations to the plan to minimise the impact on our suburb. We have been recognised as an organised community that has provided reasonable, logical and achievable suggestions to the current route.”
Wouters concluded the forum and community will continue to work with local engineers and architects to improve the alternative solutions.
Questions have been sent to GMA’s acting executive manager of reputation, Tlago Ramalepa, and her comments will be published when they are made.
Also read:
The Gautrain extension is necessary and will have economic benefits – GMA
Gautrain route extension will have an environmental impact as well
Residents affected by proposed Gautrain route give voice at public meeting
