ROUTE UPGRADES SHONGWENI CATALYTIC PROJECT MARK THE START OF

The upgrading of Kassier Road paves the way for the construction of the Westown development forming Phase 1A of eThekwini’s Shongweni Catalytic Project, a new 2 000 hectare economic hub situated in Durban’s Outer West region.

Infrastructure upgrades include two new bridges and a total make-over of the existing two-lane Kassier Road across the M13 and N3 into four lanes with a centre median. A new pedestrian bridge will also be added over the N3 along with a new loop ramp and bridge over Kassier Road providing direct access into Westown.

Because of the extent of the Shongweni development and the number of sub-precincts that will come on stream over time, the Kassier Road upgrade will be implemented over stages. Stage 1 (split into sub-stages A and B) covers the 3 km section from Alverstone to Milky Way

(MR559) and Stage 2 is from Alverstone to the R103 (Old Main Road).

As the road upgrades progress, so too will the development of Westown Square (a 48 500 m² retail hub scheduled to open in 2024), with the West Private Hospital, the warehousing and logistics sub-precinct and the first tranch of residential units being phased in progressively. In total, the Westown development has rights of approximately 517 000 m² of bulk floor area.

Community participation

As part of its commitment to empowering the local community, the Westown Foundation has been set up to facilitate and amplify local socioeconomic opportunities for the surrounding communities. The initial focus, in partnership with contractors Stefanutti Stocks and the support of the local stakeholder community, is the establishment of an on-site training centre, providing skills in construction and buildingrelated trades.

According to eThekwini, the municipality will be contributing approximately R595 million towards the municipal bulk infrastructure required for Phase 1A, with the developers, Fundamentum Property Group, contributing an amount of R2 billion.