The proposed upgrades to the R44 regional road have caused controversy among groups of Stellenbosch residents.
The project — which has been given the go-ahead by the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) — is set to develop a series of U-turn bridges, roundabouts, and other traffic junctions along the section of road connecting Stellenbosch to Somerset West.
This comes amid residents and civil society groups voicing a range of concerns in claiming that the proposed upgrades would have negative environmental, social, aesthetic, and touristic impacts on the Winelands region. Some believe that these concerns have largely been ignored by the provincial and local governments.
The R44 is a regional road, meaning that upgrades fall under the purview of the Western Cape government.
However, due to its locality, the Stellenbosch Municipality had previously weighed-in on the issue by twice voicing their opposition to the proposed upgrades. In two letters dated to May 2014 and April 2016, the Municipality claimed that they did not support the upgrades on the grounds of them being “inappropriate for the area,” and “not in line with integrated planning principles and not the best utilisation of resources for our area.”
The 2014 letter pointed out that the upgrades include “no long-term integrated strategic plan” regarding transport planning.
However, in November 2016, the Municipality reversed its decision, omitting mention of its previously asserted grievances in a letter to the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW), which is responsible for carrying out the upgrades.
The DTPW received environmental clearance from the DEADP in March last year in a move which drew criticism from members of the community. According to an appeal filed in May 2018, the Environmental Authorisation (EA) flies in the face of national, provincial, and local legislation and policy aimed at developing public transport systems.
The appeal also alleges that the upgrades would disproportionately benefit commuters who need the road the least, whereas those who need it the most (i.e. pedestrians and cyclists), would face comparatively little benefit.
The appeal was largely dismissed in August this year, with limited amendments being made.
Construction has been given the green-light, and is expected to commence at some point in the months ahead.