Cape Town’s famous unfinished Foreshore bridge is back in the spotlight after Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis confirmed plans to complete it.

According to the report, the bridge has stood unfinished since the 1970s after construction reportedly stopped in 1977 because of budget constraints.

Hill-Lewis said the City plans to complete the unfinished bridges that many Capetonians grew up seeing. He added that initial proposals are expected to be released for public comment in September, while other work continues in the background.

The mayor said the CBD needs the investment to help improve traffic flow.

Concerns Over Traffic Relief

However, the plan has already sparked pushback from the Township Economic Council in the Western Cape.

TECSA chairperson Ndodana Hadebe said the mayor has admitted that the area is already Cape Town’s busiest and most congested intersection.

Hadebe argued that completing the bridge would not solve traffic problems. Instead, he said it may simply move cars faster towards another bottleneck.

He also criticised the focus on private car infrastructure while public transport remains under pressure. He said investing capital into roads while the rail network is struggling and public transport is underfunded is an insult to the working class.

Calls for a Wider Assessment

TECSA is now calling for the planning process to be halted until a broader economic impact assessment for the metro is made public.

Engineer Gareth Ramsay, who developed the Capetrain Express Project, also questioned whether the City’s plan would work.

He said the main argument for completing the Foreshore Freeway is that it could reduce congestion at the bottom of Buitengracht Street, which is regarded as one of Cape Town’s busiest intersections.

The Cape Town Collective Ratepayers’ Association also raised caution. It said that without clear cost estimates or designs, it is difficult to give meaningful comment on the proposal.

For now, the unfinished bridge remains more than a landmark. It has become a fresh debate about Cape Town’s transport future, public spending and who benefits from major infrastructure projects.