JEFFREYS BAY – The official reopening of the upgraded Seekoei Estuary Causeway connecting Aston Bay and Paradise Beach in Jeffreys Bay has brought immense relief to locals who endured months of lengthy detours and daily disruptions.
As previously reported, the R9.3 million project, funded largely through the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant, transformed what was once a vulnerable low-water bridge into a robust, modern crossing designed to withstand the coastal elements that had plagued the previous structure.
The newly upgraded causeway was opened on 14 October.
For Mollie Gardner, who has called Paradise Beach home for eight years, the causeway’s reopening couldn’t have come soon enough.
She said that she was grateful that it had opened to the public since she had had to travel across the causeway daily, sometimes multiple times a day and even at night.
Gardner, who describes the new structure as “beautiful as it is,” experienced firsthand the dangers of the old causeway.
“It was dangerous as a result of multiple potholes which were caused by water spilling onto the causeway,” said Gardner. “Even though it was previously in a bad state, since the renovation it is much better.”
Having relied on the causeway daily, Gardner understands the true impact of its closure better than most.
“People who do not use the causeway often do not know what impact it has on their lives when it is closed for months on end,” said Gardner.
Lilla Hunter, who had been visiting her Aston Bay holiday home for 14 years and became a permanent resident six years ago upon retirement, described the six-month closure as very difficult and a great inconvenience.
Her daily trips to Paradise Beach to visit friends and attend Pilates classes twice a week became major undertakings during the construction period.
Hunter said that the old causeway had many issues. She said that the road surface was destroyed and patching it didn’t help.
Hunter further said that often the waves splashed over the causeway, which made it inaccessible, as seawater rusts cars badly.
Despite the extended inconvenience, she maintains an optimistic outlook.
“Thankfully, every cloud has a silver lining. We are so grateful for the upgrade, as the water will now flow better through the culverts, and the upgrade was amazing. Seeing it now is heartwarming and wouldn’t have been possible without our Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman at the helm, backed by the Democratic Alliance in our area,” said Hunter.
Martin Humphry, a Paradise Beach resident of five years who travels over the causeway daily to get to town, believes the upgrade represents an 80% improvement over the previous structure.
“The causeway has undergone a great improvement, and it is a change for the better,” said Humphry. He further said that the new causeway is a lot safer with much better road quality and no potholes.
Reflecting on the previous causeway, Humphry said that his guests often complained about having to use the “scary” old crossing to visit him.
He believes the new design, with much more room below the causeway for water to travel, will prevent the flooding issues that plagued the old structure.
Despite the positive overview, Humphry has identified one design concern that he hopes the municipality will address.
He said that the two speed humps on the causeway are too high, which has affected his exhaust pipe.
“The speed hump hits my exhaust pipe each time I drive over it. I now must stop my car entirely when going over the speed hump,” said Humphry.
“This is a critical problem. The speed humps should have been more gradual.”
In spite of this issue, Humphry is optimistic about the causeway’s impact on the community.
“I believe that the revamped causeway will increase the value of property in Paradise Beach because it is much better than the old one,” said Humphry.
Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman said that following on-site inspections and re-measurements, the angle of incline of the speed humps at the upgraded Seekoei Estuary Causeway will be adjusted to enhance user-friendliness.
“These speed humps are essential to safeguard the existing culverts, which were previously damaged by storms and heavy traffic,” said Bornman.
He said that the improvement work will start soon.
Bornman further said that the causeway will remain open throughout the process, although traffic management measures will be in place to allow for the safe execution of the works.
“Kouga Local Municipality apologises for any inconvenience and thanks all road users for their patience and cooperation during this period of improvement.”
READ MORE | Jeffreys Bay: Causeway to remain closed while repairs are underway
