Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Government (WCG) officials provided an update yesterday (October 26) on the provincial government’s efforts to repair and reopen roads, and other infrastructure that had been severely damaged in the storms and ensuing flooding that hit parts of the province over the Heritage long weekend.

The Premier thanked all WCG departments and stakeholders who have been working tirelessly to repair damaged road infrastructure, which included the approach to the McGregor bridge.

Part of the road approaching the bridge was washed away in the flooding, cutting off the community of McGregor. “Repairing this damage was among our most pressing priorities. Due to teamwork and a sense of urgency, within three weeks the bridge was repaired and reopened, allowing McGregor to return to full economic activity,” he said.

Roads and other critical infrastructure

Immediately after the adverse weather system in September, 154 roads had to be closed. This included sections of the N2 and N1, making relief and rescue work difficult.

Thanks to the work of the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI), this number is now down to 37 roads. Steady progress is being made to reopen all affected roads including the following:

• Clarence Drive remains closed, but it is currently possible to travel from Gordon’s Bay to the ‘The Grille Shack’ and back. On-site repair teams are working from both the Grille Shack and Rooi Els sides to restore those parts of the road that repair teams can reach. The WCG is confident that it will be able to open the section of Clarence Drive between the Grille Shack and Kogel Bay Beach by the end of November. It is currently not clear when the entire length of Clarence Drive will be open to two-way traffic due to significant damage to the road between Kogel Bay Beach and Rooi Els. However, the DOI is focusing on reopening one lane of traffic along Clarence Drive, with traffic flow managed by stop/go traffic controls as soon as it is safe to do so.
• The Hemel-en-Aarde Road remains closed between Caledon and Hermanus, but it is currently possible to travel between Caledon and Camphill. There is an alternative route between Camphill via Karwyderskraal to the R43 near Hermanus. The section from Camphill to the R43 remains closed for repairs. A geotechnical engineer has declared this section of the road unsafe. The DOI has deployed teams to start work on building temporary bypasses in unstable areas for single-lane of traffic. Once the single-lane temporary bypasses are in place along this road, traffic will be managed through stop/go traffic operations. 
• Work is well under way to fully reopen the R43 and R44 intersection near Kleinmond. Single-lane traffic is currently open at this intersection managed by stop/go operations. After initial assessments and further investigations, it has been determined that the repairs at this intersection are expected to be completed by the end of January.
• Franschhoek Pass remains closed due to landslides. Teams are working to reopen one lane of traffic by the end of November. Once a single lane has been reopened, traffic will be managed through stop/go traffic operations. However, it is unlikely that heavy motor vehicles will be allowed to use this pass when it is opened to single-lane traffic.

The South African National Roads Agency has started work on repairing the section of the N2 in the vicinity of Botrivier that was washed away, and they report that they are hoping to reopen the road by the end of November.

Reopening all affected roads remains a top priority of the WCG. When a road is closed, it cannot be used at all by vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Having people cycling through sites for recreational purposes adds a significant risk of injury and creates the risk that a site may be shut down for not adhering to occupational health and safety regulations.

Tourism

Mireille Wenger, Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, stated: “We have experienced the devastation caused by the severe storms and rainfall over the Heritage weekend, which forced businesses to close, resulting in millions of rands worth of lost revenue on top of the losses and damage sustained to property. Our thoughts are with these businesses, and I can confirm that our Department of Economic Development and Tourism is exploring different avenues to provide support. Yet, despite going through very difficult times, this sector keeps bouncing back, showing such grit that pays dividends down the line for so many in this province.”