Massive improvements on highways

The improved, and tolled, inner Gauteng highways already have more than a million users every day, and the number is growing. This emerged from evidence given to the provincial review of the socio-economic impact of e-tolling.

The first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project was completed in 2012. Tolling began in December last year. There were initial glitches - as can be expected on a massive and innovative project of which the total cost is R20 billion - but these have mostly been sorted out.

The improvements have become such a part of daily driving in Gauteng that how the highways were upgraded is easily forgotten.

Facts on the work done keeps progress in perspective: there was new road surfacing throughout, 201km of highway were upgraded, there are 585km of additional lanes and 265km of lanes were fully reconstructed.

In addition 34 interchanges were significantly upgraded, four new directional ramps or fly-overs and 477 new bridges constructed, while 134 existing bridges were widened, freeway lighting was installed on 186km of road and 127km of concrete median barriers were added.

As part of the upgrade there is a programme in place to do routine road maintenance, like fixing guardrails and potholes, pick up litter, cut grass and maintain lighting, and more. It costs R120m a year.

There is also periodic maintenance such as rehabilitation and overlays ? the first occurs from 2020 onwards at a cost of R2.9bn and the second from 2030 onwards at R8.8bn.

The result has been positive for all road users in terms of time and costs savings, but has also led to increased property development along the highways, in particular in the vicinity of interchanges and served as a catalyst for economic and job growth as well as urban densification.