Second phase of GO!Durban construction begins

Construction of GO!Durban, eThekwini’s integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN), is gathering momentum with the second phase of the project under way. GO!Durban head of infrastructure roll-out Carlos Esteves said that construction had started on the bridge crossing the N2 highway heading to the King Shaka International Airport.

The route, which links Bridge City with Gateway, Umhlanga, is expected to take three to four years to complete. The first phase, the C3 corridor linking Bridge City and central Pinetown, is almost complete. The entire IRPTN, which comprises nine corridors, is expected to be operational by 2027. Valued at R22-billion, it is the eThekwini municipality’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure project to date. Esteves said the objective was to implement a world-class network of road and rail transport that would provide at least 85% of Durbanites with efficient and cost-effective transport.  Smaller vehicles, including existing taxis, would service feeder routes leading to stations along the main trunk system. This would comprise dedicated bus lanes cordoned off by barriers to prevent other vehicles from using them. He said the eThekwini municipality was about to start construction on a prototype station. Each closed station would have basic ablution and ticketing facilities and be universally accessible in terms of building regulations.