Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’ announcement that the Unfinished Bridge on the Foreshore is set to be completed has been met with mixed reactions from ratepayers and local engineer Gareth Ramsay, who is keen to develop it into the Capetrain Express Project.
The Township Economic Council (TECSA) Western Cape argues that while Hill-Lewis admits it forms part of the city’s busiest congestion site, completing the bridge will not resolve traffic problems but cause further dead-end bottlenecks while the rail network remains paralysed.
In response to the Cape Argus, the Mayor said proposals for the completion of the Foreshore would be released in September.
“The unfinished bridges that we all grew up with as Capetonians, we are planning to get them completed. In September we will release initial proposals for public comment, while work in the background continues,” he said.
“The project requires detailed work in design and engineering, but it is our intention to complete it. The CBD and greater Cape Town need the investment to make traffic flow smoother in the CBD.”
In 2023, the City confirmed that the more than 40-year-old bridge was not forgotten in their budget and that it was working on future plans for a solution.
Previously, former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula responded to parliamentary questions in which he predicted that the cost of completing the freeway would be R1.8 billion at the time.
The Foreshore Freeway bridge has received the iconic name as the “unfinished bridge,” which has become the location of many movies and advertisement scenes.
The design of the bridge began in the 1960s, and in the 1970s the construction started, but due to budget constraints it ended in 1977.
Ndodana Hadebe, Chairperson of TECSA Western Cape, said with a housing and public transport crisis in the city, funds would be best placed elsewhere: “As the Chairperson of TECSA, I pose these critical, non-negotiable questions to the City of Cape Town:
“The Mayor admits this is already the busiest, most congested intersection in Cape Town. Completing the bridge will not solve traffic; it will simply accelerate how fast cars reach a dead-end bottleneck. Pouring capital into private car infrastructure while the rail network lies paralysed and public transport is underfunded is an insult to the working class.
Artist impression of elevated train line in Cape Town.
“We demand an immediate halt to this planning until an equitable economic impact assessment for the entire metro is made public.”
Last year the Cape Argus revealed that Gareth Ramsay, a Development Engineer, had his sights on producing a Sky Train for Cape Town, now known as the Capetrain Express Project.
He said he would utilise the foreshore’s historical incomplete Freeway, while the City echoed that it would not be economically feasible.
In response to the Mayor’s announcement, Ramsay said Hill-Lewis was aware of the project and that the new plans would not be feasible.
“The main argument in favour of completing the Foreshore Freeway is that it will reduce congestion at Cape Town’s busiest intersection (the bottom of Buitengracht Street),” he said.
The Cape Town Collective Ratepayers’ Association (CTCRA) said it would be an ideal solution: Since we haven’t seen any designs, nor any cost estimate, it is difficult to have any meaningful comment at this point, other than that currently traffic congestion is a big problem for Cape Town and that it needs a solution.”
