Traffic on Garstfontein Road soon to be eased
An upgrade of Garstfontein Road in Pretoria East is good news for motorists and residents in the area, who will hopefully no longer face heavy traffic in their commute along this road.
To many commuters, Garstfontein Road, which snakes through the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, is a road best avoided during peak traffic hours. These commuters will be glad to hear that plans to broaden the road from Diza to Primula streets into four lanes, as soon as the end of the month, have been approved.
The road, which is owned by the Tshwane metro and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT), has for many years had a heavy traffic problem. With traffic volumes increasing, maintenance on the road and those in surrounding suburbs took strain. Now, R15m has already been made available by the GDRT to start the road broadening project. The road will consist of four lanes and include a bridge over the Moreleta spruit. The cost of the project is estimated at R87m.
Ward Councillor Nick Pascoe said this was great news for motorists and residents of the surrounding suburbs. “Garstfontein Road is a major artery, connecting the far east to the Menlyn Main precinct. The road widening is a much-needed project. The road is notorious for its congestion during peak traffic hours and I believe the wider road will not only ease traffic flow, but will also remove traffic on the roads in the surrounding suburbs as motorists will no longer have to try alternative routes to avoid being stuck on Garstfontein Road.”
The metro must now sign a proposal in which it commits to releasing the funds needed to upgrade the road.
“Because this stretch of road belongs to two entities, both have to agree to the upgrade. The GDRT has made its funds available, now we must wait for the metro to come to the party to allow the construction to begin,” Pascoe added.
