The City of Johannesburg’s Watt Interchange has been entered into the 2022 Fulton Awards – an awards programme which recognises and honours excellence and innovation in the use of concrete in Southern Africa.

The construction of the Watt Interchange, which lies on the Louis Botha Development Corridor, required 100 000 m³ of earthworks materials to be moved, 18 km of ground anchors and 10 km of soil nails installed and 13 000 m² of shotcrete undertaken.

The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the city’s Department of Transport, implemented the construction of the Watt Interchange as an artery to enable the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System Phase 1C trunk route operation.

The Watt Interchange forms part of the Rea Vaya operations from Sandton to Alexandra, along Rivonia road and Katherine drive, and the trunk route from Parktown to Alexandra, along Louis Botha avenue.

The Watt Interchange – which the JDA describes as its most significant and complex infrastructure development in terms of scope and scale – is in Region E between Alexandra and Sandton, from Arkwright avenue to Chadwick avenue, along Old Pretoria road.

Construction work included demolition of a previous bridge and the interchange at Watt street, the installation of concrete beams, while bulk services were allocated and relocated. Construction decks and a retaining wall were also built.

Once operational, the Watt Interchange will receive designation as a trunk route that is universally accessible, and will comprise underground basement loading and off-loading bays and a commuter information area.

JDA acting CEO Siyabonga Genu says the Watt Interchange is an example of how the JDA manages and facilitates developments efficiently. “The innovation of Watt Interchange is an [example of an] equitable, sustainable and resilient city.”

In keeping with the JDA’s processes and practices to support job creation and enterprise and skills development for disadvantaged groups of women and youth, a total of 31 local small business contractors, employing a total of 246 labourers from the local community, were engaged during construction.

Previous JDA projects which have won a Fulton Award include the Nelson Mandela Bridge and the Constitutional Court of South Africa.