BETWEEN the ocean and the mountain, there’s the unfinished highway. It is an odd-looking landmark in a beautiful city: sections of elevated road left suspended in mid-air when construction stopped in the 1970s. Four decades later, the hulking slabs of concrete still end in precipitous drops. A glossy brochure of Cape Town film locations proclaims the cut-off highway “truly special”, with “great city views”. It makes an edgy backdrop for TV commercials and fashion shoots, and looms over an episode of the science-fiction series “Black Mirror”.

This may soon come to an end. The unfinished highway could become part of a plan to help overcome a legacy of apartheid—while also easing traffic jams.

Like other South African cities, Cape Town remains largely segregated, despite the advent of democracy in 1994. Under apartheid, black and mixed-race people were forced to live in the worst areas, far away from the whites and from work. Today they are free to live where they choose, but mostly cannot afford to live in the old “white” areas. Space in Cape Town’s downtown core and seaboard is limited, and homes are expensive. So the poor have to travel long distances on increasingly clogged roads. Brett Herron, a city councillor on the mayoral committee for transport, says that hard-up households in Cape Town spend on average 40% of their income on transport.

There are various tales as to why the highway was never finished. Mr Herron says the city was simply waiting for future traffic volumes to require it. That time came long ago; but now the city says it cannot afford it. Instead, it is turning to private developers. To sweeten the deal, the city will give the winning developer six hectares of prime land alongside the road. The unfinished highway can be completed, knocked down or turned into something else entirely—a park, perhaps. But proposals must help reduce congestion, while incorporating cheap housing.

Three-dimensional models of six designs—featuring urban gardens, cycle lanes and a promenade—went on display last month for public comment. The city wants construction to begin within the next few years. This is the first of five big projects being undertaken to improve public housing and transport. Patricia de Lille, Cape Town’s mayor, thinks finishing the highway is what people will remember her for. Film-makers may have to find a new apocalyptic location.