Completion of Celtisdal connection road planned by November
While the road will lighten the traffic in the area, some residents worry about informal traders setting up shop there.
Despite some delays, a connecting road between Hendrik Verwoerd Drive and Louisa Road in Celtisdal near Mall@Reds is expected to be completed soon.
Ward 70 councillor Marika Kruger-Muller said the contractors aim to complete the construction by November.
The new road will connect Hendrik Verwoerd Drive and Louisa Road, cutting a long detour short for locals.
Residents will now be able to come into the area on Hendrik Verwoerd Drive via Rooihuiskraal Road, then take Louisa Road or go into Aletta Avenue which connects to Ruimte Road.
“This connection road was in the plan before I was the councillor,” Kruger-Muller previously told Rekord.
“This is now urgent and the city has requested for quite some time to alleviate traffic congestion here, especially in the morning.”
Kruger-Muller said traffic in the area could be challenging, as residents in the estates in Amberfield either drive down to Reddersburg Street or up toward Rooihuiskraal Road.
“This new road will give direct access to Ruimte Road for those motorists.”
Construction began in October 2022 and required specialised work to cross-cut and shift underground utilities away from the path of the road.
Kruger-Muller said should there be future development in the area, the new road will help accommodate the additional traffic flow.
However, some residents worry that the site will attract informal traders.
Paul Meyer, who lives near the site, said he was concerned that informal traders have no health and safety oversight.
“People buy food here, but there is also drinking, the dagga comes out, and they play music, sometimes right through the night and over weekends. The area has become messy with the trash just being left here,” Meyer told Rekord.
The road is being built on a portion that had been used as an informal taxi rank.
Pedestrians also frequently use the section to cut through to the main roads, with the new section expected to make the transit easier.
Meyer said taxis used the sidewalks to access the site that they were using, endangering pedestrians and damaging the sidewalk.
“Some people have moved out of our complex because of this. They said they just couldn’t take it.
“We have tried the police, but nothing has changed.”
The construction site was open when Rekord visited, with shade netting and fencing destroyed in places.
According to the ward councillor, these were recently stolen.
Kruger-Muller told Rekord the contractor would be replacing the fencing and placing security on-site.
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