Johannesburg Roads Agency have earmarked 1 September for a grand reopening celebration for Lilian Ngoyi Street.
The street formerly known as Bree will have a new look when the Johannesburg municipality reopens the road to the public next month.
Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) officials provided an update from the ground on Thursday as the entity counts down the days until the repairs to Lilian Ngoyi Street are completed.
A gas explosion rocked the CBD on 19 July 2023. The planned completion date of repairs is 774 days after the costly incident.
Bricks for Bree Street
An oversight visit by DA members in July questioned whether the repairs would be complete by 1 September, but significant progress has been made since.
The final aspects of the surface-level phase of the project are being put in place, including the road surface and the backfilling of stormwater services.
Contractors were on Thursday laying the final layer of bricks which will cover Lillian Ngoyi Street for the foreseeable future.
JRA told The Citizen on Friday morning that a grand opening was planned for 1 September, where the reasoning behind the brick surface would be revealed.
At a February inspection of the site, then-Transport MMC Kenny Kunene said bricks were chosen due to their durability.
Close to completion
JRA Operation Manager Ridhwaan Mahomed explained that the previous tunnel under the road was a small masonry structure which bundled the electrical service, water and sewer lines into one channel.
“What we are doing as part of the upgrade is to install a robust, reinforced concrete culvert system.
“The services will be separated. Now the tunnel system will only be accommodating the electrical City Power network,” said Mahomed.
While JRA do not expect a repeat explosion, the tunnel under the street has been rebuilt with increased ventilation to prevent the build-up of pressure by allowing gases to escape.
“We really appreciate the citizens of Johannesburg. Sit tight and wait while this project is completed. As you can see, we are very close to completion; it’s just a matter of days,” concluded Mahomed.
The budget for the rebuild has so far been a few million short of R200 million, and required the replacement of the initial contractor due to poor performance.
This 450-meter rebuild is just the first phase of work to be done on Lilian Ngoyi Street, with a second rehabilitation phase set to start in September.
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