City comes on board to address CT depot congestion

The City of Cape Town has acknowledged the need for an urgent solution to address congestion near and around container depots. This follows an investigation launched by the City following a request by the Port Liaison Forum (PLF) into congestion off the Koeberg interchange where trucks pile up as they wait to enter the nearby container depot. A city representative told the PLF there was undoubtedly a need to widen the road to incorporate another lane along the 150-metre stretch of road in Koeberg Road up to the Royal Road traffic-lighted intersection in Maitland. This will provide a dedicated lefthand lane into Royal Road to facilitate the considerable truck traffic heading for the CMCGrindrod container depot at the far end of Lower Station Road. But, said the representative, whilst a left-hand lane was warranted this did not necessarily mean another lane would be added. “A feasibility study will have to be conducted to determine the viability of this as the impact of such a widening on the underground services has not yet been fully determined. This could affect the costing and ultimately the complete feasibility of the project.” Implementation of the lane, a proposal from the PLF, was dependent on this practical feasibility as well as the availability of funding and relative priority of the project in the citywide context. “We will need more time to resolve the detail around underground services and the resultant impact on the overall costing,” said the representative. The upgrade would require expropriation of land from a school situated directly to the east of the intersection. This alone is likely to be a lengthy and complicated process.