Seweweekspoort flood damage repairs progressing well

The Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) is making good progress with flood damage repairs to road structures in Seweweekspoort. This project is in the vicinity of Zoar in the Kannaland Local Municipality on Main Road 309 (the R323). The work will be complete by December 2021, if everything goes according to plan. Upgrading the causeways will reduce the likelihood of flooding and mitigate the severity of any damage that may occur on this important link road.

Scope of work

• Existing gravel side drains are being cleared near to river structures and channelled into the river to prevent future erosion. Erosion protection works are being constructed on the downstream side of road batters.
• Twenty-four causeway structures crossing the Seweweekspoort River are being upgraded and bank protection work is being done to protect the road batters from erosion. 
• The existing road is being improved in three places by adding gabion protection walls and raising the road surface above the river bank. This will reduce the risk of flooding, and mitigate the impact of any flooding that may occur.
• Road signage consisting of four danger plates and two river crossing signs is being erected at each causeway to improve road safety.

The need for traffic control measures has been minimised by the construction of bypass roads at the construction sites. DTPW is committed to creating short-term employment and skills training opportunities. A total of R2.2 million has been spent on targeted enterprises so far, and 2 371 person-days of work have been created for people from the Ladismith and Zoar areas.

The high-quality road infrastructure that DTPW provides is an important component of a safe and effective transport system, and an enabler of economic and social development in the Western Cape.

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