THE Interim Truck Staging Area (ITSA) located alongside Duncan Road – the main road in the Port of Cape Town – is gaining momentum since the first phase was open to traffic in July 2022.
With Phase 1 designed to manage the flow of heavy vehicle traffic on the roads leading to the Cape Town Multipurpose Terminal (CTMPT), the ITSA has proven to significantly reduce traffic in the CTMPT Precinct. Phase 2 will be operational in mid-September 2022 and is designed to alleviate truck congestion at the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT).
The ITSA has the capacity to stage 28 trucks in Phase 1 and 37 trucks in Phase 2. This solution stems from an Eight Point Plan that was co-created by various representatives from the maritime logistics value chain to improve efficiencies in the Port of Cape Town, with the improvement of truck operations as one of the priorities.
Truck operations will also be improved by activating night runs, to encourage port users to utilise the latent capacity available at night that would reduce congestion during the day, and the activation of biometric scanning for truckers at all port entrances.
“We are encouraged by the benefits that are being enjoyed by the multipurpose precinct users through Phase 1 of the project. The facility is intended to serve as an “overflow” waiting area in instances where the operational terminals have reached full capacity and can no longer allow the entry of trucks. With the first phase the port is already seeing the diversion of idle trucks off Duncan Road, thus increasing road safety and allowing for all port users to enjoy free traffic flow,” said ITSA Project Manager, Roxanne Smith.
The ITSA addresses the immediate truck congestion whilst the Ports Authority pursues the possibility of a permanent truck staging facility in the Port Industrial Park. The permanent truck staging facility, which forms part of the CTCT Phase 2B Project is scheduled for completion in the 2024/25 financial year. This will substantially improve the flow of trucks in and out of the port and address the increase in the traffic of heavy vehicles in recent years.
