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07/10/2021

Construction of a new road to alleviate traffic congestion leading to Nelson Mandela University’s South Campus in Summerstrand is underway.

Work on the 1.1km road and new entrance at the bottom of Strandfontein Road, as part of bigger plans to improve access to the institution, follows a comprehensive traffic study in the suburb in November 2018 and a series of environmental assessments and legal processes thereafter.

The new low impact road, which will only be operational during the day, runs down the edge of the nature reserve, which the University oversees. It will be fenced on either side and not be accessible to pedestrians.

The contractors moved on site late last month and are expected to complete the entrance and road by April 2022.

According to Infrastructure Planning and Space Optimisation head Graham Gouws, the new route will remove unnecessary through traffic along Admiralty Way and Gomery Avenue, improve pedestrian safety and allow for a more direct access to South Campus, thereby also alleviating congestion at the North Campus entrance.

The University worked closely with the Department of Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) for the past three years in its efforts to adhere to various measures and conditions required to ensure the lowest possible impact on the reserve. This included several Environmental Impact Assessments, inclusive of addressing objections raised, as part of the overall process.

As a result of these engagements and the loss of 2.39 hectares of the reserve to the road, the University will become the custodians of an additional 123.12 hectares of land adjacent to the present 606.53-hectare nature reserve.

With one of the institution’s values being environmental stewardship, the University remains committed to its custodian role of conserving the nature reserve with its rich biodiversity that often serves as an open laboratory to conservation and other students.

The new entrance and road forms the first part of a three-phase process to improve access, with the upgrading of the North Campus entrance and access road and a link road between North and South campuses to follow.

Contact information
Mrs Debbie Derry
Deputy Director: Communication
Tel: 041 504 3057
debbie.derry@mandela.ac.za