4 September 2006
Gautrain will replant golden trumpet trees as part of its tree felling
exercise to allow for intersection upgrades and widening in anticipation of
road diversions.
The move to replant the trees comes after permission was granted by the City
of Johannesburg to fell trees along strategic intersections which must be
upgraded for future traffic diversions. The upgrades are part of the project's
preparation for road diversions in the Sandton and Rosebank areas during
construction. The road diversions will be implemented as part of a safety
exercise to divert motorists away from construction sites as well as allowing
traffic to flow while construction takes place.
During the course of this week Sandton and Rosebank will see the start of
the tree felling exercise. In Sandton, trees on the concrete island in the
middle of Katherine Street will be felled and the lanes widened to accommodate
traffic flow during road diversions.
There is little traffic disturbance anticipated with the partial closure of
one lane during off-peak hours. The tree felling exercise will last for
approximately three and half months in order to finalise all the areas
earmarked for tree felling. Katherine Street will still carry traffic during
this exercise.
Rosebank will see the first tree felling along Sturdee Avenue, commencing
this week for an approximate duration of one week. The tree felling exercise
will, for now, not include Oxford Road but will focus on the roads where
traffic will be diverted to.
The City of Johannesburg has stipulated that Gautrain replace all the trees
that have been removed. All the replacement trees will be maintained by
Gautrain for a year after construction in accordance with the City of
Johannesburg's stipulated maintenance plan, in order to build the value of the
new trees. All the golden trumpet trees removed as part of the construction
phase of the project will be replanted in other areas identified by the City of
Johannesburg. All reasonable measures will be taken to ensure the survival of
the trees after replanting.
For more information contact:
Barbara Jensen
Cell: 083 600 4862
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
4 September 2006
Source: SAPA
