The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) said that they are working tirelessly to reopen the N2 at Bot River as soon as possible
A portion of the road washed away when the Bot River burst its banks during the recent heavy rains experienced in the Western Cape. The N2 remains closed at Bot River where elevated water levels continue to impact this section of the road, posing a hazard to motorists.
Repair works are currently underway, with earthmoving equipment already on site. The first order of business, was for the contractor to re-channel the river along its original waterway, in order to gain access to the portion of the N2 that was washed away. This involved digging trenches and bringing in rockfill materials.
To date the first two layers of rockfill have successfully been laid and the erosion gap effectively closed. On Wednesday, roughly 600 m³ of rockfill was laid, followed by 1 300 m³ on Thursday and 1000m³ on Friday. A further 750 m³ was laid on Saturday 14 October.
The team has been working under extended hours until at least 22:00 every night since repairs began a week ago, and have continued to work throughout the weekend.
“We hope to complete the repairs over the next four or so weeks, and provide thoroughfare access as soon as possible. We remain hopeful that no further rains will hamper progress with repairs,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Western Region Manager.
“We are very mindful of the important and strategic role of the N2, and the inconvenience that the N2 washaway has caused to road users. We have therefore accelerated our repair activities to reinstate this 70m of national roadway. We thank road users for their patience, and urge them to continue using the alternative routes with utmost care.” commented Cable.
Road users travelling to Cape Town from east of Swellendam are advised to consider the R60 route through Swellendam, Ashton, and Worcester.
When travelling from Cape Town to Swellendam on the N2, follow the R43 to Stanford (via Hermanus), then from Stanford on the R326 back to the N2 (approximately10 km west of Riviersonderend). Alternatively, travel from Cape Town to Swellendam via the N1 and the R60 via Worcester.
Another major road which remains closed is Franschheok Pass. Her extensive damage also took place during the flood.
The Western Cape Government also announced that they are working on reopening the pass by the end of November as a single lane only, which will mead a stop-and-go will be in place.
