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Infrastructure & Mixed Use
A
part from rehabilitating Main
Road, the City has refurbished
walkways, parking areas and
access routes to one of False Bay’s
most popular beach havens.
“The City has improved the roads
and underground services, Transport
for Cape Town, the City’s transport
authority, often uses road rehabilita-
tion projects as an opportunity for
urban renewal and the enhance-
ment of the general aesthetics of our
residents’ living and working space.”
said the City’s Mayoral Committee
Member: Transport for Cape Town,
Brett Herron.
The urban renewal in Muizenberg
forms part of the City’s multi-million
rand rehabilitation of Main Road, one
of the Southern Peninsula’s most
scenic access roads. The investment
in the new road surface, retainingwall
at Clovelly, and underground services
amounts
to approxi-
mately R304 mil-
lion over a three-year period.
The new road surface covers a dis-
tance of approximately 4,5 km from
the intersectionwith Atlantic Road in
Muizenberg to the intersection with
Clovelly Road just past Kalk Bay.
Main Road in Muizenberg has
undergone a metamorphosis, with a
new road surface and overhead gan-
try sign. The gantry has two signs, one
of which is a directional sign and the
other a warning sign indicating that
Atlantic Road has a height restriction
because of the railway bridge which
crosses Atlantic Road overhead.
The sidewalks along this stretch of
Main Road, also called the ‘historical
mile’, have been pavedwith red brick,
where they meander under the col-
onnades of historic buildings dating
from the late 1890s. Miningmagnates
travelled by train fromJohannesburg
to the Muizenberg Station for the
summer holidays.
“We have extended themedian is-
land at the crossing of York and Main
Roads by approximately five metres
to improve the safety of pedestri-
ans crossing Main Road towards
Muizenberg Park. A new wall and
steps built with sandstone lead to
the upper part of the park, where
we have also created a paved
walkway for those wanting to take
a shorter route through the park
towards the local police station and
magistrates’ court,” said Herron.
He added, “The 24-pound can-
nons at the entrance to Muizenberg
Park are now resting on sugar gum-
wood replicas based on the original
carriage designs. It is likely that these
cannons – manufactured in Sweden
in 1782 – were used in the Battle of
Muizenberg on 7
th
August 1795.
Officials fromTCT arranged for the
wood, fittings and manufacturing of
the carriages with the assistance of
the Cannon Association of South Af-
rica and other concerned individuals
from the local community. The two
cannons are now a focal point at the
entrance to the park.”
The sidewalks along York Road
have been widened and brick-paved
to protect the columns of the historic
buildings along this short one-way
street.
He pointed out, “York Road is a
scenic andbusy pedestrian thorough-
fare from the Main Road and Muizen-
berg Park area to Surfer’s Corner on
the beach. The red brick paving is a
clear indication to other road users
that they are entering a pedestrian
priority area with wide sidewalks. By
making the road narrower, we have
also improved pedestrian safety as
thismakes it difficult for road users to
speed. I am confident that locals and
visitors will take great joy and benefit
from the redesign and revamping of
the area.”
■
Revamp of
Muizenberg’s
historic
mile
The City of Cape
Town has spent R40
million on revamping the
historic mile area in Muizenberg
in the Southern Peninsula.
December 2015