The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is on track to complete the first phase of the R192 million rehabilitation of the Lilian Ngoyi Street in the city’s central business district (CBD) two years after being extensively damaged.

Lilian Ngoyi Street, formerly Bree Street, was hit by an underground gas explosion in July 2023, leaving one person dead and dozens injured.

According to the JRA, the entity will meet the deadline of the end of this month and that first phase is close to completion with 86% of the construction scope already finalised.

The JRA is undertaking the project in two phases and the first phase is on schedule. “Construction of new and reinforced tunnels are complete as well as the backfilling and compaction works,” the entity stated.

It added that the remainder of the project scope is progressing at the anticipated pace and is inclusive of the construction of pavement layers and the installation of gas, heat, smoke detection and ventilation systems, which is currently at 60% completion, and will effectively monitor gas build-up and venting of tunnels to protect against any future gas-related incidents.

The JRA has indicated that the entire Lilian Ngoyi Street rehabilitation project is valued at R192m and to date R64m has been spent towards the first phase.

In addition, a total of 27 small, micro and medium enterprises have benefited from the project and a total of 38 general workers are currently on site, according to the agency.

DA City of Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the party was going to closely monitor whether the deadline would be met.

She added that when the DA went on an oversight visit, it was clear that the city was not going to meet the deadline.

JRA chief executive Zweli Nyathi praised the contractor, saying it has performed exceptionally well in ensuring that the projected timelines are met, despite adverse weather conditions earlier in the year.

“Working closely with the JRA, a robust work plan was developed by extending the daily construction hours, including weekends to eliminate any possibilities of delays.

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 said.

The JRA will commence with the second phase of the project from next month until August 2026 to focus on the rejuvenation of an additional 1.8 kilometres of the street, stretching between Ntemi Piliso and End Streets.

At the start of phase two, to minimise traffic impact, a block-by block refurbishment plan will be implemented and the affected stretch of the road will be periodically closed in sections to allow the flow of traffic along intersecting roads.

loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za

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