Premier Alan Winde & Minister Simmers visit McGregor bridge access road

Joint Media Release: Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Minister Simmers visit McGregor bridge access road ahead of its re-opening

Yesterday, 16 October, Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, and Provincial Minister for Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers visited the McGregor bridge access road construction site. This is ahead of the placing of the final layer on the McGregor Bridge approach 21 days after the approach to the bridge was washed away.

 Critical infrastructure at the approach to the McGregor bridge was destroyed on Monday 25 September when the Western Cape was hit by heavy downpours. The destroyed infrastructure leading up to the bridge cut off the main access road to the nearest town of Robertson.

 It is planned for the road to be fully accessible to traffic at the close of business on Tuesday, 17 October 2023. The efforts by the two spheres of the Western Cape Government supported by the agriculture sector and civil society organisations exemplified the values of a government that works for you.

 Inspired by this feat Minister Simmers said, “It is truly inspiring to note the gallant efforts of every individual and organisation who contributed to the success of this restoration project. The reopening of this access road will be a significant relief to the economic activity of this town and region with the resumption of the movement of goods and services. The agricultural sector has been severely affected by the damage to this infrastructure.  We needed to rebuild this approach at a rapid pace and under safe conditions.”

 Many parts of the province are still reeling from the devasting floods, with some key roads inaccessible. The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure’s personnel are working around the clock attending to damaged road infrastructure. However, communities and commuters to be patient with the teams on the ground, as construction of all sites needs to be implemented under strict safe conditions.

 Premier Alan Winde said, “Our teams on the ground have been working round the clock to repair this bridge as well as all public infrastructure damaged in the flooding. Our priority has been to reconnect communities and restore economic activity, especially as we head into the festive season. We have shown that by working together with urgency we can overcome the immense challenges. I would like to thank all role players who have worked hard to repair this road infrastructure which is an important lifeline for communities in this region." 

Minister Simmers added, “The whole of government and society approach has been key in this project, and we continue to exercise this in all the floods affected areas. While we continue to restore damaged roads, I ask that our road users adhere to all road signs as this is for safety reasons.”

It is of critical importance that the road is not used before the road is reopened and road closure signage removed to avoid any damage to materials that may not have cured. Such damage could lead to a closure again to redo the works. The road may look completed but as long as road closure signs are in place, the road should not be used.