The 2021/22 City of Johannesburg budget contains strategic allocations aimed at reviving the local economy through major infrastructure turnkey projects.
As part of the budget, the community of Orange Farm, and surrounding areas have been allocated R625-million for multi-disciplinary Orange Farm turnkey projects – one of which is the construction of the R49-million Orange Farm public transport facility that is currently being implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the City.
Orange Farm is in the south of the City of Johannesburg, about 38km from the Johannesburg CBD and has experienced rapid growth in its population.
The aesthetically pleasing Orange Farm public transport facility will address the City’s need for transportation facilties which are also sustainable and safe for commuters, especially the disabled, women and children. The facility will also faciltate mobility along important arterials; improving connections and public transport options.
“For many residents, access to economic opportunities is stifled by distant commuting, the lack of access to public transport infrastructure and the lack of access to good quality public spaces,” said the Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Development Planning in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Thapelo Amad.
“The Orange Farm public transport facility will go a long way in improving the quality of life of the residents by creating robust democratic public spaces that give dignity and choice to city users and connecting people with opportunities to live, work, play, learn, and be healthy in the city,” said Cllr Amad.
Located on the corners of Link Road and St Patricks Road, the Orange Farm public transport facility will function as innovative and dense, but also easy to use public transport facility that is functional, sustainable and durable.
Once completed, the transport facility will feature holding bays, loading bays, wash bays, private car parking, trader stalls, ablution facilities (male, female and disabled), as well as a public square for traders, including a sitting area. The project has created jobs and is expected to transfer skills to 10 SMMEs and local labourers from the community, as the facility will be constructed using labour-based methods in line with the Expanded Public Works Programme.
“The construction of the Orange Farm public transport facilty will supplement the various developments that have taken place so far in Region G, including the Drieziek public transport facilty,” said the MMC for Transport in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Nonhlanhla Makhuba.
Cllr Makhuba said: “The project is being implemented for the City’s Department of Transport and once complete, this facility will be a hub for taxis travelling to Vereeniging, Meyerton, Vanderbijlpark, Johannesburg, Alberton, Germiston and Baragwanath.”
18/10/2021