Good progress is being made on the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure’s (DOI) repairs to the MR269, commonly known as the Hemel-en-Aarde Road, located between Caledon and the R43 near Hermanus. The project is expected to be complete by mid-2026.
“A severe storm and subsequent flooding in September 2023 caused sections of MR269 to be washed away. MR269 had to be closed for safety reasons. In November 2023, the road was reopened with stop-and-go traffic controls to manage the flow of traffic in places where only one lane of traffic can safely pass. These traffic controls will remain in place until repairs are complete. Due to the extent of the damage the repair costs of this stretch of road is currently estimated at R53.2 million”, said Jandré Bakker, DOI’s Director of Operational Support.
In cases like these when damage to road infrastructure is severe, there are two phases to repair work:
Repairs to the embankment where there have been land slips; and
Repairs to the road itself. The first phase must be complete before the second phase can begin. Repairs to land slips require a complete rebuild of damaged sections of the embankment to provide the necessary foundation on which the road can be rebuilt. Only once the banks are stable can work on the road begin. The contractor is rebuilding and upgrading the road’s pavement structure, constructing four permanent new concrete retaining walls, and improving drainage.
“The project has so far created 1 050 person-days of work and 51 work opportunities, and R3.2 million has been spent on procurement from targeted enterprises,” said Mr. Tertuis Simmers, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure.
Minister Simmers continued, “I am pleased with the progress with repairs to the Hemel-en-Aarde road. The stop-and-go system will remain in place, whether there are construction activities or not, until the full width of the road has been declared safe for two-way traffic. Allowing two-way traffic prematurely could cause the road to fail further, which would mean that the route would have to be closed completely. When one is on site one can appreciate why a project of this scope takes so long because a proper foundation is critical”.
“It is easy to underestimate the importance of transport infrastructure like roads until it cannot be used. Not only is this road a scenic drive but it is also of economic significance and that is why it remains am important project to us. I am especially proud of my department for balancing these critical flood-related repairs within a very tight resource envelope with their other projects and daily operations that have to continue. I want to thank road users for their patience during this construction process,” Minister Simmers concluded.
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