Road users in the Green Point area who have until now been distracted by the spectacle of the new stadium being built in the area, will now have another distraction to contend with – road deviations.

In order to facilitate the reconstruction of the Green Point traffic circle and the construction of the new Granger Bay Boulevard, which will link the circle with Beach Road, existing traffic flows on the roads around the traffic circle will be diverted to a temporary bypass road, which will be in place until December 2009.

The traffic circle at the intersection with Western Boulevard will be reconstructed to provide pedestrian access to and from the new stadium.
The R75-million Granger Bay Boulevard will run between Main Road and Beach Road, and will take 19 months to complete.

A new intersection has also been constructed on Western Boulevard on the Sea Point side of the traffic circle to link it to Main Road and Bill Peters Drive. This first step of the project will come into effect in August 2008.

The existing road link between the traffic circle and Main Road, opposite York Road, will then be closed to allow the new bypass road to be completed. This is a surfaced road which is designed to last two years, but is not permanent, and will be removed once the new traffic circle is complete.

The contractor is on site, and will start excavating for the new traffic circle as soon as this bypass road is in operation. “We won’t waste any time, because we haven’t got much time to play with,” said project manager Bertie Byker.

Signs will be provided as a guide, but the City has urged all road users to take particular care in using the new intersection until they are familiar with their new routes.
Byker said however that the diversion will not be confusing or dangerous. “Everything is built according to the usual safety standards, and there is nothing unusual about the new intersection.

“My experience is that on the first day, people make mistakes because they don’t read the signs or misinterpret them, but from the second day onwards, these problems correct themselves, because most of the users are regular users of the route,” he added.
Concerns about access to the McDonalds branch near the Green Point Stadium construction site were also allayed. There will still be road access via Bill Peters Drive, and it will be signposted as a public destination.

"Although this project has long been part of the City’s Transport Plan, its implementation has been expedited by the advent of the FIFA 2010 World Cup™ tournament,” said Director: Roads and Stormwater, Henry du Plessis.

“It is just one more example of how the tournament is providing a catalyst for accelerated development that will, in general, benefit Capetonians as a whole but, in this specific instance, the residents of Green Point and Sea Point in particular.”

The new traffic circle will be slightly elevated to have sufficient clearance for the pedestrian mall underneath it.

“We made a decision not to have something that looks like a tunnel, all dark and unfriendly, it will be an open design in order make maximum use of natural light, and make it friendly. It will be the main access to the stadium from the city, people will walk underneath the circle and into the stadium, so it has to be an attractive underpass,” Byker said.