Upgrading of Oostenbosch Street

The Oostenbosch Street project forms an integral part of the development of mobility routes for all modes of traffic internally between the various residential and business hubs, including public transport.  It serves as a much needed connecting route to and from the industrial areas surrounding the corridor and providing efficient and economical transport routes.  The upgrading of the road provides for opening the transport network between the eastern and western sections of Paarl.  It also provides the Drakenstein area with efficient and improved access to the economy (business and social).

To eradicate increasing vandalism and theft of traffic light installations, the municipality had to become innovative, by storing its equipment for traffic signals in an underground chamber. This initiative is unprecedented in Africa, whereby the UPS, batteries, controller, and other equipment for traffic signals are stored in underground chambers.  These chambers were developed in collaboration with Smartlock Systems and are equipped with alarms that can detect attempts to gain unauthorised access. To facilitate work on the equipment, it can be hoisted above ground level, to allow user input and maintenance. The chambers are vandal proof and access is controlled, electronically.  The project eradicate vandalism and interrupting of services.

The upgrading was done to a four-lane divided road which is sufficient to accommodate the existing and future traffic volumes. It must be mentioned that this project provided increased off-road facilities to accommodate greater non-motorised traffic across the Berg River divide, enabling extensive economic and social integration.