Construction company Concor expects to sign a R155-million contract this week for the construction and maintenance of a toll road on Cape Town’s historic Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Construction company Concor expects to sign a R155-million contract this week for the construction and maintenance of a toll road on Cape Town’s historic Chapman’s Peak Drive.
CARtoday.com last year quoted Western Cape transport and public works MEC Tasneem Essop as saying that Chapman’s Peak Drive would officially become a toll road at the end of September.
A toll gate will be set up near East Fort. At the time of the report, motorists were expected to be charged R18, motorcyclists R12, minibuses R27, midibuses R55 and buses R110 to use the road. However, reported on Tuesday that the rate for cars might be R20.
Motorists who use the route regularly will pay 61 per cent less, while minibus taxis with permits to operate on the route will pay 70 per cent less. “The projection is that at least 70 per cent of traffic that would have used Chapman’s Peak Drive untolled would still use it with the toll in place,” said Essop.
The scenic route was closed three years ago after a fatal accident caused by falling rocks.
Concor chief executive John Willmott said yesterday that the provincial authorities had awarded his firm the contract to make the 10 km route safe. Concor was one of the companies to register an interest in collecting the toll for the next 30 years.
“Concor was selected as the preferred bidder to design and build an upgrade of the road, and to toll it. The contract is expected to be signed this week,” Willmot added.
Concor has already been at work on the site, under an interim agreement, and Willmott said work “had progressed well”.
Ideas which have worked in Switzerland and Austria to protect vehicles from rockfalls and avalanches are being used by Concor to protect drivers who travel along the Chapman’s Peak route.
“We are installing steel catch fences to stop the boulders reaching the road, and are also building concrete structures along parts of the route, to provide a roof over the road,” said Willmott.
