Nellmapius Drive closed for upgrading
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes while roadworks are being carried out on Nellmapius Drive.
Motorists will have to endure a temporary inconvenience due to the closure of Nellmapius Drive in Irene. M&T Development announced that part of this road from John Vorster Drive to the west until Luton Street will be closed until 30 April due to upgrades. According to Paul Venter, the town planner for M&T Development, construction will take place on selective days to minimise the impact on peak-hour traffic.
Motorists from the R21 and Main Road traveling west along Nellmapius Drive must turn right (to the north) at John Vorster Drive and continue for 700m until the second traffic light at the Logan T-junction. Once in Logan Street, continue until Luton Street and then turn left (to the south) until Nellmapius is reached again. Motorists from Southdowns must use the same bypass route.
Motorists from the N1 freeway and the Centurion CBD travelling south must turn right (west) into Oak Avenue and continue along Oak Avenue and Olievenhoutbosch Road until Nellmapius Road in Highveld, near the Eco Park Estate, is reached.
Motorists travelling east from Rooihuiskraal must preferably use Olievenhoutbosch Road until John Vorster Drive to avoid the road closure. The above changes to the traffic flow are clearly indicated by road signs. M&T Development requests that road users be patient during the road upgrades and advised them to reduce their speed, observe the road signs and exercise caution.
Venter said the road was being upgraded as part of the developer’s responsibility to manage traffic and the usage of municipal services at the future levels predicted when new developments will be fully operational. “The upgrades were prescribed by the Tshwane metro due to the envisioned increase in traffic from the development of the Southdowns Ridge Office Park. The upgrades will cater for existing background traffic as well as traffic generated by the new development,” Venter said.
“Only parts of these upgrades were necessary at this time for the first phase of the development, but we decided to do the future upgrades simultaneously to minimise the effect on the public and disruptions in traffic flow,” he added.
The upgrades include a new traffic circle at the Nellmapius Drive and Luton Street intersection, which was recently completed and the widening of Nellmapius Drive from Luton Street to John Vorster Drive, which is still underway. A new entrance from Nellmapius Drive to Southdowns Ridge Office Park, with a traffic circle, will also be built.
M&T Development apologises for the inconvenience that may be caused by the road upgrades. M&T, being the developer of Southdowns Ridge, is responsible for the upgrades and several other infrastructure upgrades and municipal services contributions.
