City advises residents of a Geotechnical Investigation in sections of Philippi and Khayelitsha

10 August 2020

The City of Cape Town will commence with a Geotechnical investigation in certain wards within Philippi and Khayelitsha this week. This investigation will entail exploratory core drilling and soil testing to establish founding conditions necessary for the design of various structures associated with the proposed IRT Phase 2A Trunk Busway Project along the M9. Read more below:

The Geotechnical Investigation will take place along Govan Mbeki Road between the Duinefontein Road and Vygekraal Road intersections, and along Japhta Masemola Road just east of Solomon Tshuku Road.

The investigation is associated with the design of the following structures:
• Retaining structure on Govan Mbeki Road adjacent to the Lotus Canal in ward 42,
• Bus lanes grade separation on Govan Mbeki Road over Duinefontein Road,
• Widening of the culvert just east of Solomon Tshuku Road on Japhta Masemola Road in ward 90 and 87.

‘The long term aim is to construct a new dedicated trunk busway along parts of Govan Mbeki, linking the western CBD’s of both Claremont and Wynberg to the CBD’s of Khayelitsha in the east and Mitchell’s Plain in the south,’ said Alderman Purchase.

The location of the specific drilling sites has been identified and are located in Wards 33; 42, 43 near in Govan Mbeki Road as well as Wards 87 and 90 in Khayelitsha.

‘The drilling will be confined between Duinefontein and Vygekraal Road, where formal residential dwellings are separated by the Lotus canal to the north and the uninhabited Edith Stevens Nature Reserve located to the south. Residents in the area can expect some noise while these works are underway. We thank residents in advance for their patience and understanding and can assure them that the dust and noise generated will be kept to a minimum,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Felicity Purchase.

Once the core drilling is complete the project team will commence with the excavation of test pits at all the sites for soil testing.

Working hours during the week will be from 07:30am to 16:30pm and from 8:00 till 13:00 on Saturdays.

The City will ensure that traffic is managed while the works are under way and that all the necessary Health, Safety and Environmental requirements are adhered to on site.

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office