Goud Street, which lies in the inner city of the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD), has been upgraded into a high-quality environment and enhanced pedestrian experience, featuring wider sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, landscape, trees, and natural elements.
The Inner-City Core Public Environment Upgrades of Goud Street is the latest environment upgrade the Johannesburg Development Agency has completed in the Gandhi Square East Precinct.
Gandhi Square has developed into both a popular tourist attraction and a busy urban hub of commercial and retail activity served by various types of public transport, including buses, taxis, and the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.
Goud Street is located in Ward 124 and has a length of 0.98km. The street is home to the Downtown Music Hub, a landmark recording facility first opened in 1979 and is now officially recognized as part of the city’s heritage.
The R15 million, Goud Street PEUs were undertaken as part of the Gandhi Square East Precinct Urban Development Framework and form part of the City’s plans to invest over R800 million in capital projects into Region F, which encompasses the Inner City.
The vision for the Gandhi Square East Precinct is to create an economically viable, functional, and integrated inner-city precinct of developmental and socio-economic strategies and programmes.
The Goud Street PEUs spanned from Marshall Street, across Main Street and Fox Street to Commissioner Street. The works comprise of:
· Upgrades of sidewalks
· Installation of new public lighting
· New stormwater installation
· New street furniture which includes bins and benches
· Installation of Street Trees
The JDA’s objective is to deliver this public infrastructure project using labour-intensive methods with the aim of job creation and income generation through an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) approach. A total of seven SMMEs were on the project, and the total of SMME expenditure was R6million.
JDA CEO Mr. Themba Mathibe said, “The successful upgrade of Goud Street reflects our commitment to revitalizing Johannesburg’s inner city by creating spaces that are not only functional but also enhance the quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors”.
“The transformation of this key area into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly environment exemplifies our vision of fostering economic growth and urban renewal while honoring the rich heritage of our city,” he noted.
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