A 100 m, R80-million underpass, which joins the two sites of the 1 900 ha mixed-development Riverfields, was officially opened by Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele last month.

Construction on the 7-m-high bridge started in 2014 and took about 19 months to complete. This included a tarred underpass with a two-lane road, pedestrian walkways and cycle lanes.

The underpass will later be expanded to a four-lane dual- carriageway.

About 10 km from the OR Tambo International Airport, the River-fields development offers a logistics and warehousing hub for many international companies and already houses brands such as Jonsson Workwear, John Deere, TakeaLot.com, Fast Freight, Fresh-to-Go and DHL, which have established distributions centres in the Plumbago Business Park.

DB Schenker’s corporate office and warehouse centre is located in the Plumbago logistics park. The Riverfields development also houses the Gleneagle Office Park, the Glen Erasmia Boulevard residential estate, the Gleneagle Estate and two other residential estates still under development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Gungubele noted that the creation of transport channels was inseparable from urban development, citing the change that occurred next to the Ben Schoeman freeway and the N14 between Krugersdorp and Pretoria over the last 20 years, as prime examples.

On average, 60 people were employed during the construction phase of the bridge, which comprised a consortium of contractors and engineers, including JT Ross, VIP Consulting Engineers, AECOM, Civilcon, Pegasus Civil Engineering Contractors, CPE Consulting Engineers and Prokor.

Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi noted that the development was “the first button to be pressed” in the creation of the Ekurhuleni aerotropolis, which had been identified as a strategic priority investment area.

Although the construction of the project was privately funded, it also required close coordination with the authorities and, in particular, the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality and the South African National Roads Agency.

Riverfields director Dr Lardus Erasmus, who has an agricultural background, said he was in “two hearts” about developing new buildings and infrastructure on land that had previously been used for mainly maize farming.

The Riverfields Development Company is owned and managed by members of the Erasmus family, who have farmed the area for generations.

“You can see the good soil and [with challenges currently faced in the country], there is a need to keep on producing food. “But if you look at the economic impacts this development holds, it is in the interest of the greater community to go ahead. “This should not just be a financial venture; a community must be created.”