The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) says the first phase of the rehabilitation project on Lilian Ngoyi street, between Harrison and Kruis streets, is on schedule to be completed by the end of August, with 86% of the construction scope already finalised.

Construction of new and reinforced tunnels, as well as the backfilling and compaction works, are complete. The remainder of the project scope is progressing at the anticipated pace and includes the construction of pavement layers.

The JRA is also installing gas, heat and smoke detection and ventilation systems, currently 60% complete, which will monitor gas build-up and venting of tunnels to protect against any future gas-related incidents.

Lilian Ngoyi street between Harrison and Kruis streets, as well as the affected north-south roads such as Joubert, Rissik and Eloff streets, will reopen to traffic once the first phase of the project is completed at the end of August, the agency notes.

“The contractor has performed exceptionally well in ensuring the projected timelines are met, despite adverse weather conditions earlier in the year. With the JRA, a work plan was developed by extending the daily construction hours, including on weekends, to reduce delays,” says JRA CEO Zweli Nyathi.

Additionally, pavement construction work is undertaken in the evenings to ensure minimal foot traffic disturbance and inconvenience to business operations around the construction site, he adds.

Further, the second phase of the project, scheduled to take place from September this year until August 2026, will focus on the rehabilitation of an additional 1.8 km of Lilian Ngoyi street, stretching between Ntemi Piliso and End streets.

Lilian Ngoyi street is a critical commuter route that connects two of the largest taxi ranks in the inner city and serves as a key access road to surrounding businesses and public service facilities, the JRA says.

Therefore, the second phase of the project aligns with the City of Johannesburg’s Inner City Transport Master Plan, which involves the improvement of public transport services and pedestrian mobility. It will reshape the road’s layout to include wider walkways, safer passenger loading zones and a transit mall.

Additionally, as part of Phase 2, from September onwards, to minimise traffic impact, a block by block refurbishment plan will be implemented.

This means that the 1.8 km stretch of road will be periodically closed in sections to allow the flow of traffic along intersecting roads, the JRA says.

Sectional closures will be in place on Lilian Ngoyi street from Loveday street to Miriam Makeba street, in Newtown. Alternative routes include Rissik, Loveday and Rahima Moosa streets.

Similarly, sectional closures will be implemented on Lilian Ngoyi street between Wanderers and Claim streets. Traffic will be diverted to Wanderers, Plein and Claim streets.

The Lilian Ngoyi Street Rehabilitation project across both phases is valued at R192-million and, to date, R64-million has been spent on the first phase of the project.

The project employs 27 small, medium-sized and microenterprises and 38 workers are currently on site, the JRA says.