Abstract
The study seeks to reviews the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), planning and implementation and the project’s public participation processes. While there have been efforts to promote public participation in South Africa since the dawn of democracy, public participation in the development of freeway transport infrastructure projects is limited to technical specifications and locations. Therefore, a gap exists, which necessitates the establishment of a public participation framework for effective participation processes during the planning and implementation of freeway transport infrastructure projects. The aim of the study is to devise strategies and processes for effective public participation and stakeholder engagement in planning and implementing sustainable freeway transport infrastructure improvement projects.
The pragmatic philosophical viewpoint and a postpositivist approach were adopted to achieve a detailed understanding of public participation during the development of GFIP. Through the case study research design, lived experiences of participants within Gauteng during the planning and implementation of GFIP were explored through a mixed method approach. Purposive sampling was employed to select key officials, who had knowledge of freeway transport infrastructure planning and implementation within Gauteng. The overall sample consisted of road users, organisations and transport roads authorities operating within Gauteng. Open- ended questionnaires, in-depth interviews, spatial analysis, and observations were used to collect qualitative data, while the quantitative data was collected through closed-ended questionnaires and traffic data along the improved freeways. The collected data was analysed through content analysis, maps, IBM SPSS version 29.0, and Statistica 14 and the data was presented using graphs, charts, scatter plots, text and figures.
The research findings indicated that the legislation which governs the planning and implementation of freeway transport infrastructure projects makes provision for limited public participation. Furthermore, the main communication and engagement technique of using newspapers to attract participation is not desirable as it does not create sufficient awareness and empowerment. The top-down approach limited stakeholder and public engagement, thereby giving absolute power to the National Roads Agency for the planning and implementation of GFIP.
The study culminated in a framework that informs robust public participation during the planning and implementation of freeway transport infrastructure projects. The framework is termed an Innovative, Inclusive, and Informative Participatory Framework (III-PF). The framework captures the public participation processes and strategies towards achieving meaningful engagement throughout the lifecycle of the freeway transport infrastructure
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projects. Therefore, the study recommends that the public participation for freeway transport infrastructure should incorporate comprehensive aspects such as economic, spatial and transportation attributes to empower the participants and enable meaningful engagement.
Key words: freeway, funding, public participation, stakeholders, transport infrastructure