New road for Midstream residents

Residents from Midstream and other commuters will now have direct access to Main Road in Irene after the completion of Midstream Ridge Drive, near Midstream Estate. A R50 million access road to link Midstream to Main Road in Irene was officially opened on Tuesday. The developers of Midstream, Bondev, completed a metropolitan link road and signalised intersection that will link the greater Midstream Estate in an easterly direction to Main Road, the provincial road between Irene and Olifantsfontein. Known as Midstream Ridge Drive, the road is an extension of the Brakfontein Road.

According to Ward Councillor Casper McDonald, this will also give commuters a shorter and safer access to Kempton Park, especially those travelling to OR Tambo International. The new, 3.5km road was constructed by Jodan, a civil engineering contractor, over a period of six months and was fully financed by Bondev to sustain the Midstream development.

According to McDonald, developers of estates such as Midstream are required to develop infrastructure, including roads and water reservoirs, in order to provide services to the residents. “The developers cannot wait for the municipalities to develop these infrastructures, it will take too long. Therefore, they develop it out of their own pocket,” he said.

According to the director of Bodev, Jan Zeederberg, the signalised intersection onto Main Road has a number of traffic lanes and will be fully lit at night to provide a safe point of access for all commuters. The road is on the border of the two municipalities, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. Ekurhuleni’s Department of Traffic signals took it upon themselves to maintain the traffic light at the intersection.

It has been predicted that the influx in traffic towards Irene will, however, have an effect on the traffic at the Main Road and Nellmapius Drive intersection, which is already a nightmare during peak-hour traffic.