The City of Cape Town says the construction of the Sky Circle, the first of its kind in South Africa, is progressing well.
This freestanding elevated traffic circle, at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road (M9) and Jan Smuts Drive (M17) in Lansdowne, will be about 6,2m above the ground and will be for the exclusive use of the MyCiTi buses.
If all goes according to plan, construction will be completed by December this year.
In March 2025, the project team converted the signalised intersection of Govan Mbeki and Jan Smuts into a traffic circle, where the Sky Circle is currently being constructed.
Soon, the circle will be fully cast, and once the concrete has reached its design strength, the temporary traffic circle on ground level will be converted back to a four-way signalised intersection for all traffic, apart from the MyCiTi buses that will be using the elevated circle.
The proposed Hanover Park closed median station is the closest MyCiTi station to this intersection and will serve commuters along the trunk route to operate along Govan Mbeki Road. The station will be built at a later stage, closer to the implementation date of the service.
The MMC for Mobility, Rob Quintas, who visited the Sky Circle and accompanying infrastructure last month, says that by separating the MyCiTi buses from general traffic, the commuters will not be delayed by the traffic or congestion at the ground level of the intersection.
This design will benefit MyCiTi commuters as it will reduce the travelling time to their destinations.
Other road uses will also benefit from significant upgrades at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road and Jan Smuts Drive to improve traffic flow, including:
- the reconfiguration of the intersection;
- dedicated turning lanes;
- improved traffic signals; and
- improved signalisation or sequencing
- walking and cycling lanes
Meanwhile, a key milestone has been reached with the casting of the first red bus lanes along Govan Mbeki Road, in the vicinity of the Sky Circle project.
All is on track to complete the project by December 2026 and to have the first MyCiTi buses operating along this route in the second half of 2027.
Commuters from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha will be able to board the MyCiTi buses that will operate between their neighbourhoods and Wynberg and Claremont.
READ MORE: Sky Circle on its way to Hanover Park
