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The City’s Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is pleased with the progress on the construction of two new MyCiTi depots on the corner of Spine Road and Mew Way which are between Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.
He said that during his special site visit on Friday 15 March. Among other officials that accompanied him was Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas and various ward councillors from Mitchells Plain.
Hill-Lewis said 65% of the work has been done and is expected to be fully completed in May 2025.
He stated that the construction was initially delayed by several weeks due to extortion attempts but the lost time has been made up by the contractor working extended hours and on weekends.
“I was happy to see good progress in the construction of new MyCiTi depots at Spine and Mew Way roads which will be at the heart of operations for this big extension of the MyCiTi bus system. The City is working at pace to expand the MyCiTi bus service to the metro-south east specifically to Philippi, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha.
“Once complete, hundreds of thousands of commuters will have access to safe, reliable, direct public transport along one of the busiest transport routes in the city. This project is part of the full 73% of the City’s infrastructure budget directly benefitting lower income households in 2023-’24,” said Hill-Lewis.
He said the 15-hectare City-owned site is strategically located near the planned new routes to save costs and accommodate more bus trips very early in the morning.
“The depots will house 290 buses initially and many more as MyCiTi expands across the city. The facilities will serve as a base for the MyCiTi service, including administrative offices, boardrooms, training space, facilities for staff and drivers, and security-controlled access on both roads.
Quintas said they are hoping that these depots will assist in rejuvenating the area and bringing more job opportunities.
“The project is co-funded by a Dutch government grant and will create temporary jobs, local business opportunities, and permanent jobs once services start.
“The good news for road users is that there is no major impact expected on traffic in the vicinity of the works,” said Quintas.
He said as of February the following work has been completed which includes the installation of foundation and underground bulk civil engineering services including electricity, water, plumbing and sewerage services for both depots.
And external building work, roof sheeting and internal finishes for the east depot.
“Work currently underway includes paving the staging area for the east depot, installing a permanent water connection to both depots and finishing external building work for the west depot,” he said.
To help combat extortion impacting City construction and service delivery initiatives Hill-Lewis in August last year launched an Anti-Extortion Campaign under the slogan Enough! Genoeg! Kwanele!
The City has set up a 24-hour toll-free hotline, with cash rewards on offer for tip-offs leading to arrest and prosecution.
