R1.8 billion towards Foreshore ‘unfinished freeway bridge’

The Foreshore Freeway Bridge, also known as Cape Town's Unfinished Bridge, is an incomplete section of what was intended to be the Eastern Boulevard Highway in the city bowl of Cape Town.

Cape Town's infamous unfinished Foreshore freeway bridge can be completed and opened is in the 2030/2031 City financial year at a predicted cost of R1.8 billion.

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has provided further details about Cape Town’s infamous unfinished Foreshore freeway bridge, and what it will cost to complete it.

Responding to a recent parliamentary Q&A, Mbalula said the Foreshore Freeway is a City road and the original plan was to implement it in phases.

“When the time came for building the missing portion of the Foreshore Freeway, the predicted traffic for the commencement date of construction had not materialised. A decision was taken to postpone the completion of the Foreshore Freeway until a later date when the traffic had increased to the levels that could justify the completion.

“Since that date, the emphasis then changed from road building to promoting public transport and the completion of the freeway was not prioritized above improving public transport.”

Since then the city being able to afford the completion of the freeway has been a ‘challenge’, Mbalula said. He added that the current predicted cost of completing the Foreshore Freeway is in the order of R1.8 billion.

“It is certainly the City’s desire to complete the Foreshore Freeway but for this to happen will require a partnership between all three spheres of government.

“The anticipated duration of the completion of the Foreshore Freeway project is nine years including the review of the conceptual design, detailed design, construction tender documents preparation as well as construction. The earliest the Foreshore Freeway could be completed and open to the public would be in the 2030/2031 city financial year provided budget is secured timeously.”

In 2018, the City of Cape Town called for proposals on how to complete or repurpose the bridge; however, these plans were later called off.