Lilian Ngoyi Street in Johannesburg remains closed or partially closed three years after work began, with the planned reopening not yet achieved. The project started as a road rehabilitation initiative following the deadly 2023 gas explosion, but it has expanded into a broader infrastructure overhaul.
Across reporting, attention focuses on the rising cost and the slow pace of completion. IOL says the project has reached a total of about R192 million, raising questions about how the scope changed and why the work is still not finished after years. The same outlet highlights concerns that the lengthy delays have outlasted the original rehabilitation goal, turning the project into an extended and more expensive undertaking than initially described.
While outlets differ in emphasis—some foreground the cost, others the extended timeline—the core points converge on the fact that the gas-explosion-related response has evolved into a major and ongoing road and infrastructure programme, with stakeholders seeking clarity on spending and completion timelines.
