October Transport Month: Flood-damage repairs to roads and bridges near De Doorns complete

NATIONAL NEWS - During 2023 and 2024 the Western Cape experienced severe weather-related incidents which had a significant effect on transport infrastructure on the provincial road network.

While the damage estimate far exceeds the available resources, the Western Cape Government provided additional funding and along with internal budget reallocation by the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) repairs could be initiated.

“One such project is the multi-faceted R90.8 million DOI project near De Doorns. This recently completed project was to construct a new bridge on the Modderdrift Road across the Sand River, to improve the long-term structural integrity of two bridges across the Hex River, and to conduct flood damage repairs to roads, bridges and drainage structures,” said Jandré Bakker, DOI Director: Operational Support.

“Because the repair demand is more than the available resources, repairs are split over multiple financial years to ensure quick responses while minimising the impact on other projects,” Bakker continued.

Kanetvlei – repair to bridge B5983 on OP 5719.

Key features of the project, included:

Replacing a bridge and repairing an approach road on Divisional Road 1438 (DR 1438) (Modderdrift Road);
Rebuilding a damaged section of a bridge on Minor Road 5721 (OP5721) and building a new low-water bridge on this road;
Rebuilding damaged sections of a bridge on OP5719;
Building a new retaining wall on OP5742;
Replacing a culvert on DR1379;
Repairing damaged sections of DR1379, R1435 and OP5726, including drainage structures; and
Installing erosion protection for various bridges and roads in the area.

“The project created 9 194 person-days of work and 57 work opportunities. R4.1 million was spent on procurement from targeted enterprises, and three contracts were awarded to local enterprises”, said Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers.

“We are proud that our road projects are designed in such a way that they mitigate the impacts of climate change while also prioritising job creation,” the Minister continued.

“Road users may only see the sections of road they regularly use and may wonder why response times to seemingly routine matters are slower than usual. But our teams are hard at work on flood damage repairs across the province. By showing the flood damage-related works we do on our vast provincial road network we aim to create an understanding of our responsibilities and how we utilise funds,” Minister Simmers concluded.

Sandhill – repair to bridge B6150 on OP5721.