The long-awaited widening of Brackenfell Boulevard is expected to begin in early 2027, with Sanral having revised the proposed bridge cross-section to accommodate four lanes. This was confirmed by the City of Cape Town last week in response to questions from the Tygerberg Business Chamber.
Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the detailed design for the widening was being undertaken by Sanral as part of its broader N1 Upgrade Programme, along with the associated funding, phasing and construction timelines.
“The City has been advised that construction on the programme is anticipated to commence in early 2027, and that Sanral has revised the proposed bridge cross-section to accommodate four lanes,” he said.
The City said it had formally engaged Sanral to ensure alignment between respective infrastructure programmes and intended to commence conceptual design work for the widening Brackenfell Boulevard to two lanes in each direction. This would ensure integration with Sanral’s proposed bridge infrastructure and the broader road network. However, any future implementation would remain subject to the City’s planning, prioritisation and funding processes.
Comprehensive traffic study called for
On development charges, Quintas said collection and allocation were administered in accordance with the City’s Development Charges Policy. “We understand the Chamber’s interest in whether funds have been specifically ring-fenced for the Brackenfell Boulevard upgrade and will ensure this specific question is directed to the City department responsible for administering the policy,” he said.
On calls for a comprehensive corridor traffic study, Quintas said the City did not ordinarily undertake detailed neighbourhood-specific transportation studies given the scale of the metropolitan transport network and competing priorities.
For instance, traffic impacts from the new Bracken Heights High School have been assessed as part of the school’s development application, identifying required mitigation measures that formed part of the specific development approval conditions only.
A broader network-level study would be more meaningful once these projects have been substantially completed and travel demand has stabilised.
“Several significant regional projects such as Sanral’s N1 upgrade, the proposed R300 improvements, and associated Western Cape Government projects are anticipated to commence in early 2027 and are expected to materially influence travel patterns in the area,” he said.
“A broader network-level study would be more meaningful once these projects have been substantially completed and travel demand has stabilised.”
Addressing a petition from the Northern District Community Forum calling for a development moratorium, Quintas said officials from the City’s transport impact assessment section and the spatial planning and environment directorate had been asked to provide technical comments to inform the City’s position.
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“In the interim, the City continues to assess development applications in accordance with applicable legislation, approved policies, technical guidelines, and established development approval processes, and is not able to support a blanket moratorium outside of these statutory processes,” he said.
Painful process
Tygerberg Business Chamber management member Phillip van Zijl told TygerBurger the chamber welcomed the City going on record confirming the bridge would accommodate four lanes and that construction could begin as early as next year.
He acknowledged that the construction phases would be a painful process, particularly for commuters needing to cross the bridge while work was under way. However, he described the City’s response regarding an integrated traffic assessment for the entire area on both sides of the N1 as very vague.
“We have always maintained that developments should only be approved after the necessary road infrastructure is in place, and not the other way around. At this rate we are constantly playing catch up only when the problem becomes impossible. First the development and afterwards jumping around to get the roads right. The situation is untenable,” he said. “In the absence of a comprehensive traffic study of the entire area as a whole, we will remain uninformed of where we stand in terms of traffic flow in the area.”
