It’s official – the N2 at the Bot Rivier has been reopened to traffic, after it had been closed for four weeks for repairs to the section of the road washed away during the devastating storms at the end of September.
Construction workers had been working tirelessly, at times until 22:00 at night and over weekends, to repair the road.
It was officially reopened on Monday afternoon, bringing relief to hundreds of motorists and heavy transport vehicles, which were forced to take extensive detours as result of the road closure.
Reginald Demana, CEO of the South African Road Agency Limited (Sanral), stated: “Sanral is mindful of the strategic and economic importance of the N2 and appreciates the sacrifices made by road users in taking alternative routes, some in excess of 100 km. Therefore we were committed to opening the road as soon as safely possible.”
Randall Cable, Sanral’s Western Region Manager added: “It is a huge relief to have the road open and for people, goods and services once again to have uninterrupted access to the N2. We want to thank road users for their patience during this time. Our gratitude also extends to the workers who, without hesitation, put shoulder to the wheel to get the road open in record time. Because of their dedication, we have managed to open the road sooner than anticipated.”
The restoration of the Hemel-en-Aarde Road that was severely damaged during the Heritage weekend storms is well underway with a temporary bypass one-way lane being constructed.
This route has been closed to traffic since 25 September when sections of the road were washed away and severely damaged as result of the floods.
The Western Cape Provincial Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, and Overstrand Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie visited the visited the Hemel-en-Aarde road construction site last week.
While the road remains closed for traffic between Caledon and Hermanus, construction work to build a temporary bypass one-way lane is underway. Once this is completed the road will be accessible and traffic will be managed through stop/go traffic operations.
The provincial Department of Infrastructure reported the aim is to ensure the road is reopened ahead of the festive season.
The MEC and Mayor also met with local business owners to provide an update on the project and share ideas on the way forward.
Sean Tager, owner of the Haygrove company, said affected business owners in the region are grateful for the updates on the repairs as well as an indication of complications affecting the process.
Rabie said: “I am encouraged by what we saw here today and the efforts the Western Cape Government continues to give to ensure that the road can be reopened under safe conditions for our road users.
“I also want to extend a word of thanks to the minister for making the time to meet with local business owners.”
Simmers was very optimistic about the progress and added that he believes the essential route will soon be accessible to road users once again.
“A lot of work has gone into the assessment of the damages and good progress is being made on the design of the engineering solution to the slips on the road, which will lessen the likelihood of a recurrence in future.
“I also want to thank the local business community for their understanding of the process that is currently underway and for their suggestions on what can be done moving forward.”
Notification on the reopening of this road will be communicated closer to time.
The Karwyderskraal road is currently being used as an alternative route. Road users are reminded that this is for light motor vehicles only. It is experiencing much higher traffic volumes than usual, and road users are urged to use it responsibly by switching on their headlights, reducing speed, increasing the following distance and not overtaking.
The department stated maintenance was being done on the Karwyderskraal road to address this increased traffic volume.
