New skywalk and garden to boost tourism in Melville area
The skywalk is to be a safe pedestrian and cycle crossing.
A Joburg variation of New York’s High Line is to be erected at the intersection of University Road and Kingsway Avenue to link the University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus with the Campus Square shopping centre in Melville.
New York’s High Line, which was previously a disused elevated railway line, was converted into a beautifully landscaped walkway and relaxation zone. It has become one of the Big Apple’s major tourist attractions.
The Johannesburg Development Agency is in the process of conducting the required geotechnical studies for Melville’s elevated, landscaped, circular walkway. Thereafter, the detailed designs for the walkway will be finalised by the end of February 2016. Construction is planned to begin in July 2016, with a planned completion in May/June 2017.
The main purpose of the skywalk is to be a safe pedestrian and cycle crossing at this busy intersection. The walkway is also intended to be a landmark, which will connect the surrounding areas to create walkable neighbourhoods and help transform the land use along the main walking lines.
The rejuvenation of the Melville village itself is underway, as part of the Joburg Tourism project involving the City, Caxton and the local community, announced in this newspaper last week. Main Street has already been resurfaced and the resurfacing of the parts of 7th Street and 4th Avenue in the main tourist precinct is scheduled to be completed next week.
Meanwhile, the upgrading of the main road through the adjacent Westdene and historic Sophiatown is nearly complete, as is the beautifying of the pedestrian promenade across the Westdene Dam wall.
Down the road from Melville, the world-class 44 Stanley development has its own distinct charm and class, and is already a major drawcard. This area of Joburg is fast evolving into a major tourist node of which the circular skywalk and garden will surely become an iconic centre piece.
* Last week’s welcome rains delayed the resurfacing of 7th Street and 4th Avenue in Melville as part of the Joburg Tourism project. The project is scheduled to take five to seven days. Due to traffic restraints in the day, the work needs to be done at night. The tar needs to cure for 10 days before the road markings can be done.
