Boeing Street revamp to completed by December
The road has been a problem for years due to a lack of maintenance being plagued with potholes, lack of road markings, accidents and traffic congestion.
After years of complaints and frustration, residents of the east of Pretoria can finally look forward to a more efficient route to use in Elardus Park towards the end of the year.
The revamp of Boeing Street, which started in August 2023, is nearing completion.
According to the Road and Transport Department spokesperson, Lesiba Mpya, the project is progressing well, with no major challenges encountered, and is expected to be completed on December 12.
He said the construction aimed to rehabilitate the road.
“Construction is taking place to strengthen and increase the lifespan of the street,” he said.
Ward 47 Councillor Lida Erasmus said she is delighted at the progress made on the project.
“Boeing Street in Elardus Park is a provincial street that has carried huge traffic volumes on a two-lane road for a long time,” Erasmus said.
She said the street’s narrowness and poor condition led to numerous accidents and delays, especially during peak hours.
Erasmus added there was also not enough street reserved for motorists to pull off on the side, and there were no road markings.
“The rehabilitation project includes the installation of street markings, an additional turning lane, and a robot at a key intersection.”
Erasmus added that the addition of the robot is a major win for the community, citing its potential to prevent accidents and ease traffic congestion.
She said the community is thankful and excited about the project’s progress.
Erasmus said although the project is not yet completed, she is already receiving positive feedback from community members about traffic congestion on the road.
“The revamp and widening of Boeing Street have made significant progress in relieving congestion during peak traffic hours,” she said.
However, Erasmus noted that a short section of the street, between Alandale Street/Ebenhaezer Road and Solomon Mahlangu Drive, was not part of the initial upgrade contract.
She said this section forms a bottleneck, causing congestion and frustration for motorists.
In November 2024, Erasmus had discussions with the current contractor regarding the issue and also penned a letter to the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.
Erasmus said in her letter she formally asked the Provincial Roads Department that the section must be included in the upgrade and widened to eliminate the bottleneck.
“Permission was granted for the section of street to also be widened and the road to be upgraded under the same contract,” she said.
She said this is a big win for the community and commuters of Elardus Park and surrounds.
Erasmus added that the community is looking forward to the project’s completion and the improved safety and efficiency it will bring.
Erasmus is continuing the legacy of former Ward 47 Councillor Daryl Johnston, who also championed improvements to Boeing Street.
For years, Johnston pushed for upgrades to address the concerns of frustrated road users and residents.
She is now building on Johnston’s efforts, working to bring much-needed relief to the community.
Johnston said the road has been a problem for years, causing very bad accidents.
He said the project should have commenced a long time ago, but due to tender irregularities, they had to cancel the tender.
“The surface and the width of the street were the problem,” he said.
“The department tried to get it to be a dual carriageway, but I believe budget constraints prevented that from happening.
He said when the upgrades started the department patched the surface of the road while the tender was being re-advertised.
“The thing is that it was an unnecessary cost because if the tender had been dealt with properly from the outset and there weren’t irregularities, then that project wouldn’t have had to happen,” Johnston said.
He said the street reached its lifespan because it was not properly maintained as it should.
Johnston added that in 2016 they signed a petition for the rehabilitation of the road, and only now the project is near completion.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: Boeing Road being patched, again
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