On the 20th of April, 2015, Camps Bay Drive was closed for a period lasting 5 months due to much-needed road maintenance. This road has not been upgraded in 30 years hence the authorities have decided to delay no longer and see to the completion of this project that should see residents and visitors drive along a much better quality road surface and experience safer travelling. According to plans, the road will be completed in September.

But with all this work to be done along Camps Bay Drive, many motorists will be at a disadvantage. Approximately 14,000 drivers travel along this road every day. There are alternative routes that motorists can take but due to the large number that will be affected, the authorities have warned that delays should be expected. Those using the MyCiTi service should also take note since the buses will be operating under different schedules during this period.

The alternative routes

Coming from the Cape Town CBD?

Travelling from the Cape Town City Centre to Camps Bay usually means taking Camps Bay Drive. But with this option unavailable, motorists in or near to the CBD of Cape Town are advised to go from Kloofnek Road and turn right onto Kloof Road at the junction instead of straight onto Camps Bay Drive. This route grants an indirect entry into Camps Bay by eventually merging with Victoria Road that runs between the Camps Bay Strip and Beach.

Coming from Sea Point?

If you find yourself in or near to Sea Point, you have the option of travelling along Beach Road that ends on Victoria Road, leading all the way to Camps Bay.

If you’re coming along Main Road, staying to the left takes you to Regent Road, that ends at a circle. At the circle, take a left and then take the next right that will take you onto Victoria Road. Staying to the right on Main Road leads to Kloof Road, that takes you all the way to Camps Bay, eventually merging with Victoria Road.

Those in other areas need not worry

If you are close to the areas mentioned above, then you can take those routes. But if you are in Constantia or Muizenberg, a drive through Hout Bay will easily lead you to Camps Bay.

The changes to the MyCiTi bus services

The MyCiTi bus service will continue to operate between Camps Bay and the Cape Town City Centre but there are changes that commuters should be aware of. They were implemented on the same day as the beginning of the construction period, 20 April 2015. They are as follows:

• Route 106 Civic Centre – Camps Bay (clockwise) – This route now serves as a circular route in Camps Bay only and no longer operates in the Cape Town City Centre. Buses continue operating along Camps Bay Drive through the construction zone but are affected by delays because of the stop-and-go operations. Those who wish to travel to and from the Cape Town City Centre must change to route 107 buses at the Comrie stop in Geneva Drive.

• Route 107 Civic Centre – Camps Bay (anti-clockwise) – This route is cancelled between the lower and upper intersections of Camps Bay Drive and Geneva Drive. After leaving Victoria Road and the beachfront, the route will go along Geneva Drive, returning to the Cape Town City Centre via Kloof Nek Road. The bus stops along the cancelled section of route 107 are not in operation: Lower Camps Bay, Houghton, Rontree, Fiskaal and Ravensteyn.

What benefits will come with the road works?

The main purposes behind the construction on Camps Bay Drive are to ease traffic congestion and improve the level of safety.

• Camps Bay Drive will be broadened by 1,4 metres on the Table Mountain side between Geneva Drive and Rontree Avenue.
• The centre line of Camps Bay Drive will be moved by 0,7 metres, widening each lane by 0,7 metres.
• Drivers can look forward to an improved road surface since the top surface (25 cm) will be removed and replaced with recycled material and asphalt.
• Some of the sharp corners along Camps Bay Drive will be softened to grant safe passage for buses travelling in opposite directions.
• There will be no broadening of the section between Rontree Avenue and Houghton Road, however, the road surface will be improved along this portion of Camps Bay Drive.
• There will be a replacing of the damaged culvert on Victoria Road in Bakoven and this will need a stop-and-go controlled traffic arrangement.

Don’t worry about the road works

Of course, the construction is going to impact greatly on those who travel between Camps Bay and the Cape Town City Centre. While 5 months is a considerable amount of time, the year tends to go quickly and September will be here before you know it. If you plan to visit Camps Bay for more leisurely reasons, it won’t hurt to spare yourself the frustration of waiting by planning well in advance or deciding to visit one of the other numerous attractions of the Western Cape.