The City of Cape Town will spend R11 million on enclosing walkways at Table View and Atlantis MyCiTi stations with roofs and glass panels.
The work will start on Monday February 18 at night, outside the MyCiTi operating hours.
Mayco member for transport, Felicity Purchase, said the stations were among the busiest on the rapid-bus network.
“Given that the walkways are exposed, commuters and schoolchildren aren’t sheltered from the sun, wind and rain while they’re waiting for buses.”
Local schools and residents had asked the City to make the stations more “commuter friendly” she said, adding that R6 million would be spent on the Atlantis upgrade and R5 million on the Table View one.
“The purpose of the projects is to make our public transport system more convenient and safer to use. The tricky part, however, is that the work will have to take place without disruptions to the MyCiTi service.
“This means that the contractor can only work between 11pm and 5am when the buses aren’t operating.
“Luckily the stations aren’t located in residential areas, but if your business is open after hours you may be affected.
“Also, it’s possible that the noise coming from the sites will be audible to residents on some evenings, depending on the wind direction,” said Ms Purchase.
The project is expected to take six months if there are no delays. Eleven Port Jackson fig trees will be moved to make way for the roofing at both stations. The trees will be replanted at other MyCiTi stations and stops across the city. Most of the work, such as steel welding,would be done off-site, Ms Purchase said.
“I’m asking commuters and residents to please be patient. Once completed, the roof and panels will make a huge difference to commuters’ travelling experience,” Ms Purchase said.